Pets – and their owners – draw omnichannel attention from retailers
Consumers love their “fur babies,” and increasingly so do retailers.
The U.S. is a nation of pet lovers. Data from the American Pet Products Association indicates that pet food and treats represent a nearly $70 billion market, while annual spending on veterinary care and pet products totals more than $40 billion.
Given these impressive figures, it’s not a surprise that retailers are turning their omnichannel attention toward pets and their owners (usually called “parents” in the pet retail vernacular). Here are three recent examples of retailers trying to capture a share of this burgeoning market through various channels:
Amazon
Amazon, no stranger to annual themed promotions, ran its fifth Pet Days sales extravaganza in May 2026 (honoring National Pet Month) with its biggest pet event yet.
Initially introduced as a 24-hour event in May 2022 (known then as Amazon Pet Day), the sale returned as a 48-hour extravaganza in 2023, 2024 and 2025. For the first time in 2026, Amazon Pet Days become a five-day event, featuring deals on items including pet food and treats, toys, apparel, health care products, grooming supplies, and accessories.
Unlike some other Amazon sales events, such as Prime Day, all customers can shop Pet Days without membership in the paid Prime subscription program. The promotion has proven to be a success in the past. According to analysis provided to Chain Store Age by Affinity Solutions, during the week it hosted the 2024 edition of Pet Day, Amazon saw a 4.8% year-over-year increase in overall sales.
[READ MORE: Amazon sees sales boost from Pet Day promo]
Petsense
PetSmart recently partnered with pet health platform Vetster to offer virtual veterinary support services at 140 stores in Canada. This followed the rollout of Vetster at more than 500 U.S. stores in the first half of 2026, with thousands of veterinary consultations being completed by store associates through the platform.
Through Vetster's secure medical platform, PetSmart associates can gain real-time access to licensed veterinarians where regulations allow. These veterinarians can virtually diagnose and treat incidental pet health issues as well as ongoing needs such as anxiety, allergies, arthritis, weight management, and flea and tick prevention.
And in an effort to reach out to owners of all types of pets, Vetster veterinarians have experience caring for a wide range of species commonly found in PetSmart stores, including dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small animals. Services are meant to complement, rather than replace, in-clinic visits.
Tractor Supply Company
Tractor Supply Company has acquired the veterinary services business VIP Petcare (operating under the VIP Petcare and PetVet banners) from PetIQ. VIP Petcare is the largest provider of mobile veterinary care in the United States, operating community clinics in approximately 2,700 retail locations with national and regional retail partners, including 1,700 Tractor Supply locations, across 39 states.
VIP Petcare runs 90-minute community clinics at host retail locations with walk-in and online pre-registration available. Tractor Supply says that bringing VIP Petcare’s veterinary services capabilities in-house strengthens its existing pet health platform, and creates a “differentiated, end-to-end pet care offering” spanning veterinary services, pharmacy, pet services and retail.
