Pet Product Retail and Internet Shopping Trends, 6th Edition Report

Report Overview

In the wake of COVID era of supply chain disruption and stay-at-home lifestyles, evolution in product retailing has not slowed in pace.

Key Themes Covered in this Report:

• Omnimarket Is Still Reshaping the Competitive Landscape
• Vet/Pet Services as Retail Strategy
• Leveraging the New Subscription Economy

Omnimarket Is Still Reshaping the Competitive Landscape

In-store brick & mortar sales continue to account for most retail pet product sales, at a projected $59.33 billion in 2025 – but at a reduced 59% share of the total, down from 76% in 2019. Conversely, the e-commerce share of retail pet product sales jumped from 24% in 2019 to 41% as of 2025.

E-commerce is just one facet of omnimarket competition in the pet industry, whereby key market players compete across former business boundaries, spanning products and services and  veterinary/prescription and non-medical products.

The “omnimarket” nature of the pet industry can leave independent, more specialized operators at a disadvantage against corporate and chain retailer competition. This disadvantage stems not only from the scale of business resources available, but from customer preference for one-stop shopping – or, more precisely, for having a single main supplier of pet products as well as services. Younger generation pet shopper preferences especially boost this momentum.

Vet/Pet Services as Retail Strategy

The “retail-ization” of veterinary services and non-medical pet services such as grooming is another integral component of omnimarket competition. Chain and store-located vet clinics are not a new development, but key veterinary industry players have been steadily capturing a greater share of the business through the acquisition of larger and successful local veterinary practices or of regional veterinary networks, which are seen by venture capital as a desirable investment for cash flow. At the same time, veterinary corporate and branded chain players are resetting the boundaries between corporate and local models, and between traditional and alternative vet services, thereby opening up new avenues to growth. In the years ahead, not only will retailers be more reliant upon services, but veterinary and non-medical pet service providers will be more reliant upon retailers.

This relocating of vet and non-medical pet services – including through online pet pharmacies and veterinary telemedicine – goes hand-in-hand with generational shifts in consumer psychographics that have lessened the primacy of veterinarians as sources of pet care information.

Leveraging the New Subscription Economy

Packaged Facts’ September 2025 survey of general consumers shows that 27% have subscription or regularly scheduled delivery of products such as household goods, groceries, or pet food. The figures range significantly higher for Gen Z through Gen X than for Boomers, indicating a strong technology-driven generational divide – and that’s from the relatively conservative products side of the products vs. services divide, a distinction that has rapidly dated in the wake of a subscription economy revolution.

Virtually all consumers participate (variously but very often avidly) in this newfangled subscription economy. The pet industry has evolved from “products vs. services” to “products + services” to product/service subscriptions, as a new turn of the screw in the omnimarket evolution. From the consumer side, subscription purchasing provides competitive prices – necessarily, given the ease and sometimes superimposed presence of price comparison on the Internet – and shopping convenience. From the business side, subscription sales can build a sturdier business base, predictable revenues streams, and stronger relationships with customers supported by granular, digitally captured data.

A Comprehensive Market Analysis

Pet Product Retail and Internet Shopping Trends, 6^th Edition provides detailed and data-rich analysis of pet product retail sales and shopping patterns in the US market, with a focus on dog and cat products. Report coverage includes e-commerce, mass merchandisers/supercenters and supermarkets, pet specialty stores, and the veterinary sector. Along with detailed retail sales and share quantification, the discussion examines competitive dynamics, pet product shopper psychographics, and customer demographics by channel and key retailers (such as Amazon, Chewy, Walmart, PetSmart, and Petco). Chapters on pet food and on non-food pet supplies (primarily covering flea control/parasiticides) further assess retailing dynamics.

Building on analyses presented in previous editions of this report, this fully updated 6th Edition features:

• Breakouts of historical retail sales for 2019 through 2024 and projections for 2025 vs. 2029
• Sales quantification for e-commerce vs. brick & mortar, pet specialty vs. all other, and pet product sales and shares by retail channel, broken out into pet food and non-food pet supplies
• Analysis of the new normal for shopping patterns, consumer marketing trends, omnimarket competitive strategies of key players, and market growth opportunities
• Usage rates for veterinary services overall, by type of provider, and by dog/cat ownership classifications; annual veterinary visit and spending patterns
• Historical and projected figures for veterinary sales and share of total category for pet medications, pet food, and the core “hands-on” non-medical pet services.
• Channel shopping trends and customer demographics for pet food and for flea control/parasiticides as key retail categories

Backed by exclusive data from Packaged Facts’ 2025 Surveys of Pet Owners, this report is an essential resource for industry stakeholders looking to navigate the challenges and opportunities of pet product retailing.

Pet Product Retail and Internet Shopping Trends, 6th Edition Report Details

Leading Companies Driving Trends in the Pet Product Retail and Internet Shopping Trends, 6th Edition

Pet Product Retail Report Scope

This report provides a data-rich analysis of pet product retail sales and shopping patterns in the US market, with a focus on dog and cat products. Report coverage includes e-commerce, mass merchandisers/supercenters and supermarkets, pet specialty stores, and the veterinary sector. Along with detailed retail sales and share quantification, the discussion examines competitive dynamics, pet product shopper psychographics, and customer demographics by channel and key retailers (such as Amazon, Chewy, Walmart, PetSmart, and Petco). Chapters on pet food and on non-food pet supplies (primarily covering flea control/parasiticides) further assess retailing dynamics.

Methodology

The information contained in this report was obtained from primary and secondary research. Primary research includes proprietary online consumer polls of US adult pet owners (age 18+), conducted on an ongoing basis by Packaged Facts, to measure purchasing patterns and attitudes regarding pet products and services. These surveys include approximately 2,000 pet owners and are based on national, online research panels that are census representative on the primary demographic measures of age, gender, geographic region, race/ethnicity, and household income. The Packaged Facts surveys cited this report were primarily conducted between January and September 2025.

The pet ownership and pet owner demographic data draw on MRI-Simmons National Consumer Study data through the Summer 2025 release (which reflects survey fielding between April 2024 and July 2025), including trending and comparison with pre-COVID era data.

Secondary research includes information- and data-gathering from news, business, and pet/vet trade publications (the latter including Fountain Report, Pet Care Weekly, and Petfood Industry); company profiles in trade and consumer publications; annual reports of companies in the pet market; and information culled from Packaged Facts’ extensive pet market research database and report collection.