Becoming a big dog online
When this crisis hit, pet adoptions went up 1,000%. People need to outfit their pets and they’re looking online.
About the company
Muttluks manufactures dog boots, coats and accessories for major pet retailers across North America.
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Industry: Manufacturing
Entrepreneur challenge
Between the COVID-19 stories of financial hardship and ultrafast growth lies a subset of entrepreneurs who are using this extended economic pause as a time to reflect and plan for the future.
Muttluks is one such company. As a manufacturer of dog boots, coats and accessories for major pet retailers, 80% of their sales happen in the winter months. Things were beginning to wind down just as the COVID-19 crisis began picking up steam. Seeing its effects on the economy and unsure of what that meant for them when it came time to restart their operations in late summer, owner Marianne Bertrand and Chief Operating Officer Andrew Rust set to work planning a strategy that would support their goal of boosting their direct-to-consumer online sales.
“We struggled to find the time to do this before,” says Marianne. “But when this crisis hit, pet adoptions went up 1,000%. People need to outfit their pets and they’re looking online.”
The team began by examining the opportunities and obstacles in the market and within the company, including market positioning, brand identity, management capabilities and reviewing the data their current online presence generates. Since the spring and early summer are their traditional downtimes, they will use the time to build up their capabilities in these spaces. From there they will finalize and implement their online strategy.
“With COVID-19, it’s even more important to push the online aspect of our business,” says Andrew. “This is where our future is going to be.”