As Amazon continues to loom large over all other online retailers, specialty niche merchants continue to gain a stronger foothold with shoppers since they offer an easier way to track down products that aren’t readily available in general inventories. The category saw more than 18% growth in e-commerce last year, with a nearly 18% five-year compound growth rate. Web-only pet supply retailer Chewy Inc. saw 2016 sales balloon by 113% year over year to $901 million. PetSmart Inc., which commands only 2% of online pet food sales, announced plans to acquire the six-year-old Chewy, which accounts for 57%. Other specialty retailers such as music hubs Musician’s Friend Inc. and Sweetwater continued to climb in the Top 1000 ranks as well.
See below for a snapshot of the U.S. online specialty industry. This includes data from merchants ranked in the Internet Retailer 2017 Top 1000, including those in the following segments:
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- Baby Gear
- Educational Products
- Medical Supplies
- Miscellaneous
- Musical Instruments
- Pet Care
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