Shoppers on Shopify stores stocked up on pet essentials and toddler items in April, potentially driven by fear of tariff-induced price hikes.
Items like store-bought dog food, wrap-style baby carriers, and toddler hip seats received massive bumps in orders during April, per the latest data from Shopify shared with Retail Brew.
Pawsome: Orders for commercial dog food rose by a crazy 1,121% in April. Pet owners also shelled out money to buy dog runs (up 121%), dog toys (up 114%), fish feeders (up 80%), pet chairs (up 27%), and dry fish food (up 18%). Pet products could see an estimated 7%–10% increase in prices due to overseas supply chains. Pet brands in the US import goods from Canada, China, Mexico, South Korea, and Japan.
In particular, pet food costs could rise due to potential 25% tariffs on imports from Canada. This would increase manufacturing costs leading to price hikes for shoppers, according to Jeremy Petersen, founder of Identity Pet Nutrition.
Infantastic: Similarly, a majority of baby care products are made in Asia. Ahead of tariff-induced price hikes, orders for ring slings and hip carriers orders for babies popped 603%. Orders for double strollers spiked 590%. Other toddler items like convertible car seats (up 214%), changing mats (up 78%), and bassinets (up 46%), also gained high traction.
Fresh outfits: Shoppers also bought spring essentials like baseball-style snapback caps (up 479%). Fashionistas also cashed in on visors, (up 186%), bucket bags (up 71%), track jackets (up 59%) and shorts (up 34%).
In the wilderness: With summer around the corner, some folks clearly wanted backyard and outdoor essentials. Demand for open-air activities led to a rise in orders for things like basketball rims by 81%, followed closely by pedal boats (up by 74%), and fishing tackle kits rose 67%. Shoppers also purchased bicycle child seats (up 64%) and kayak sails (up 19%).
Rooting for you: Garden lovers chose to invest in grass edgers (up 338%). With an eye on hygiene and sanitation, orders for grill scrapers (up 97% ), insect repellent (up 94%), gardening kneelers (up 71%), weed trimmers (up 58%), and fire pits (up 50%) were up significantly.
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