Growing better pet care, together - Vetpost and NZ Post
Vetpost was founded on a simple idea: make quality veterinary care more affordable and accessible for New Zealand pet owners. What started as a side project by veterinarian Dr Becs Walker has grown into one of New Zealand’s leading online veterinary pharmacies and pet care retailers.
From day one, NZ Post has supported that growth, helping Vetpost scale efficiently by delivering reliable, fast service to customers nationwide. Now, the two are working together to support Vetpost’s next phase of growth.
Growing better pet care, together - Vetpost and NZ Post
Vetpost was founded on a simple idea: make quality veterinary care more affordable and accessible for New Zealand pet owners. What started as a side project by veterinarian Dr Becs Walker has grown into one of New Zealand’s leading online veterinary pharmacies and pet care retailers.
From day one, NZ Post has supported that growth, helping Vetpost scale efficiently by delivering reliable, fast service to customers nationwide. Now, the two are working together to support Vetpost’s next phase of growth.
Success highlights
Over 95% of parcels delivered by the next working day
Supported rapid growth, doubling order volumes every 18–24 months
Shared commitment to sustainability
Collaborating on South Island expansion
Making pet care more accessible
Vetpost was founded more than 11 years ago by veterinarian Dr Rebecca Walker - often called Dr Becs - after seeing first-hand how difficult it could be for pet owners to access affordable treatments and medications.
Having worked in veterinary clinics across New Zealand, Australia and the UK, she saw too many situations where pet owners faced difficult decisions because of the cost of treatment.
“Our goal has always been to help get medication and treatments into customers’ hands at a significantly lower cost than traditional channels.” explains Greg Walker, Business Development Manager.
What began with Dr Becs packing parcels and dropping them at her local NZ Post store has grown into a nationwide business employing 14 staff and serving pet owners throughout New Zealand.
Order volumes have doubled every 18-24 months. Today they send out over 20,000 products a month, all around New Zealand.
Delivery is part of the promise
For Vetpost, delivery is a critical part of the customer experience. They often ship essential medications that animals depend on every day, making speed, visibility and reliability extra important. “Products must arrive when they should,” Greg says. “There are animals around New Zealand that depend on that timely delivery.”
Over 95% of Vetpost parcels are delivered by the next working day, and the rest the following day.
In Greg’s opinion, “No one delivers their parcels faster or more reliably than NZ Post.”
Consistent performance helps reinforce trust with customers and supports the company’s reputation for service. “When customers place an order, they need confidence it’s going to arrive quickly and safely. Good delivery experiences reinforce this confidence, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and repeat business. A poor experience creates reputational damage. Customers associate that experience with your brand.”
That’s why Vetpost has built its processes around fulfilment and delivery, even deliberately positioning itself close to NZ Post’s facilities.
“We moved our warehouse closer to NZ Post specifically so we could maximise our pickup window. Orders packed late in the afternoon still have a very good chance of arriving the next working day, anywhere in the country.”
Greg appreciates the range of services available from NZ Post. “From one platform we can access all the delivery options we need to meet different customer needs. It ranges from Courier and Courier Economy through to Express and perishable goods delivery.” Systems are fully integrated giving the Vetpost team operational efficiencies and end-to-end visibility of delivery.
Supporting growth
Greg believes NZ Post has been a key enabler of Vetpost’s ability to scale. “The relationship has always been about helping us grow.”
As demand has grown, NZ Post business managers worked alongside the Vetpost team to plan for future growth, identify opportunities and improve operational efficiency. One example was recommending a warehouse management platform that integrates directly with NZ Post’s systems. “That system alone improved our efficiency threefold and helped us continue growing while maintaining our delivery standards.”
As Vetpost explores establishing a South Island distribution centre, NZ Post is helping assess the best locations and operating models to support fast fulfilment and delivery. The two teams are also working together to improve efficiency and reduce delivery costs. “Someone has to pay for delivery, whether it’s us or the customer. We’re actively working with NZ Post to reduce costs, so we can make delivery free for more of our customers.”
Sustainability is another area of alignment. Vetpost continues to focus on reducing its environmental impact. Greg values NZ Post’s transparency around emissions reporting and its investment in electric vehicles and other initiatives designed to reduce carbon emissions. “NZ Post’s transparency made it much easier for us to measure and manage our own carbon footprint.”
For Greg, the relationship comes down to trust.
“I wouldn’t trust delivery of our products to any other delivery company. They understand our business, they understand our customers, and they genuinely want us to succeed.”
That combination of reliability, innovation and goal alignment sees NZ Post playing a key role in helping Vetpost continue its mission of making quality pet care accessible for more New Zealand families.
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