Walmart Rolls Out Omnichannel Pet Care Suite

As it continues to grow its complete suite of pet offerings, Walmart is rolling out its Walmart Pet Care omnichannel product.

The merchant is harnessing the top providers in the industry to provide pet care programs to shoppers in one location. Those offerings include Walmart Pet Insurance, pet sitting and dog walking, according to a Thursday (Nov. 12) announcement.

Walmart offers its pet insurance in the same location where shoppers purchase their pet food and fill their pets’ prescriptions.

The retailer says shoppers can save as much as 10 percent on their policies and can enroll in an insurance plan that offers coverage for vet fees in conjunction with Petplan.

Walmart Pet Care will encompass new dog walking and pet sitting offerings via Rover. Pet owners can quickly and easily reserve dog walkers and pet sitters from more than 300,000 providers in communities across the nation.

Also included in the pet care suite is Walmart PetRx, an in-store and web pharmacy service Walmart introduced last year that let shoppers get pet prescriptions at “prices significantly below competitors,” per the announcement.

“We’re on a mission to help families live better – and that goes for pets, too,” said Melody Richard, Walmart’s merchandising vice president for pets. “Especially as adoption rates soar as a result of the pandemic and more people become pet owners, this was the perfect time to launch expanded services in Walmart Pet Care for our customers.”

The news comes as Petco recently announced a cross between a subscription offering and health insurance for pets called Vital Care. That offering provides pet owners with choices to meet their pets’ routine wellness needs. The program is available via the Petco app and Petco.com with a membership, which requires an annual commitment, priced at $19 monthly. It includes routine services at vet exams at 22 places, membership in the Petco rewards program and unlimited nail trims for dogs at Petco’s grooming salons.