Petco partners to offer pet sitting, dog walking and other services
Petco Health and Wellness Company is partnering to offer an expanded lineup of pet services.
The specialty pet supply retailer is partnering with Rover, an online marketplace for pet care, to connect customers with a variety of services. The services include overnight pet care in a sitter’s home, overnight pet care or house-sitting services at the pet's home, dog walking, daytime pet care in the pet sitter’s home, drop-in visits for potty breaks, quick play dates and litter box cleaning.
Petco customers will be able to gain access to Rover services directly from the retailer’s e-commerce site. Those who book for the first time can receive a one-time $10 discount. Additionally, members of Petco's Vital Care, a paid annual wellness program introduced in October 2020, will receive a one-time discount of $20 on their booking beginning in spring 2022. As part of the partnership, Rover will promote Petco Vital Care to its users.
Petco, which recently entered into a partnership to open in-store shops at select Loew’s stores, has introduced a variety of omnichannel services in the past 12 months. In April 2021, national animal welfare non-profit Petco Love, formerly known as Petco Foundation, started working with approximately 1,000 shelters and rescues in both cities and rural areas across the U.S. to adopt its searchable database that uses facial recognition technology to help reunite lost pets with their owners.
Uploaded photos of a missing pet are immediately scanned to determine whether there is a match at a participating shelter or neighbor in the community, providing initial results in less than a minute.
In September 2021, Petco introduced a free virtual training seminar intended to help customers facing new post-pandemic routines. The limited-time seminar was designed to help pet owners recognize signs of stress in their pets and learn relaxation techniques and enrichment solutions. The program specifically addressed changes in the routine of many customers who may have been returning to work or school following 18 months at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
And in October 2021, the company began providing customers a seamless omnichannel experience centered on its POS platform.
Petco operates more than 1,500 locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, including a network of more than 150 in-store veterinary hospitals.
"We are pleased to expand our relationship with Rover and make their leading pet boarding, sitting, walking and daycare services more accessible to pet parents through Petco's integrated, multichannel ecosystem of solutions," said Jenny Wolski, Petco senior VP of omnichannel experience. "And in turn, we're excited for more pet parents to learn how Vital Care can make it easier for them to give their pets the comprehensive health and wellness care they need."