How Pet Retailers Are Growing and What It Means for Your Business

Pet retail is growing, but there's no single path to getting there.

A recent GlobalPETS analysis of Q2 2026 results found that every retailer included in its analysis reported year-over-year revenue growth. But the reasons varied. Some major retailers benefited from store expansion and acquisitions, while others pointed to services, loyalty, subscriptions, assortment, or eCommerce.

Most independent pet retailers aren't operating at the scale of the companies included in the report. They don't need to. The useful part is seeing which strategies are driving growth and how those strategies can translate to an independent pet business.

For one retailer, that might mean adding eCommerce. For another, it could mean adding grooming, expanding an assortment, opening a second location, or getting more value from an existing customer base.

Pet Retail Growth Strategies Beyond Store Expansion

Opening another location can increase revenue, but it's far from the only option.

Pet retailers can also grow by bringing in new customers, increasing purchase frequency, adding services, expanding their assortment, or selling through additional channels.

That gives smaller retailers room to choose a strategy that fits the business rather than treating growth as a race to add more stores.

For a one-store retailer, that could mean finding a new revenue opportunity within the existing location. For a small chain, it could mean making the stores already in operation more productive before adding another one.

How Loyalty Programs Can Increase Repeat Sales for Pet Stores

Getting customers to come back is a major part of retail growth, particularly in a category built around recurring purchases.

GlobalPETS reported that Pet Valu's loyalty program captured 90% of sales during Q2. Retailers are also using subscriptions and autoship programs to make recurring purchases easier.

Smaller retailers can take a similar approach without building a complicated subscription business. A loyalty program that helps identify purchase patterns, target promotions, and encourage repeat visits can make an existing customer base more valuable.

For retailers using PetStack, loyalty is built into the platform, with the option to integrate with Astro Loyalty for additional loyalty capabilities. That gives smaller pet retailers a way to put customer and purchase data to work without relying on as many manual processes to manage their loyalty program.

How Pet Services Can Drive Growth for Pet Retailers

Services such as grooming, training, daycare, and boarding create recurring visits that go beyond a typical product purchase.

GlobalPETS identified services as a common growth contributor among several retailers in its Q2 analysis.

For indie pet retailers, that might mean adding a self-wash station rather than taking on the complexity of offering full-service grooming. For those with grooming services, regular appointments can bring customers back more often and create additional opportunities to purchase food, treats, and supplies.

Our recent blog post, How Grooming Appointments Can Drive Repeat Business for Pet Stores covers that opportunity in more detail.

Above: Adding services to your store can boost revenue and drive repeat business.

How Product Assortment Can Increase Pet Store Sales

Growth can also come from selling more of the right products.

GlobalPETS highlighted assortment expansion, new categories, and private-label products among the strategies contributing to growth across major pet retailers.

If you’re an indie pet retailer, this could mean responding to customer demand for a category you don't currently carry or strengthening an existing category rather than trying to add products across the board.

That makes inventory accuracy increasingly important. The more products you carry, the more important it is to know what's selling, what's available, and what needs to be reordered.

How eCommerce Can Help Pet Stores Increase Sales

eCommerce is another clear area of growth. NielsenIQ data showed online U.S. pet sales increasing 14.1% year over year, while in-store sales declined 1.4%. NielsenIQ expects eCommerce to drive U.S. pet care revenue growth in 2026.

Our own client data shows that online sales are growing, too. Over the past year, our FieldStack clients averaged 10% year-over-year growth in online sales.

That doesn't mean every pet retailer needs to build a nationwide shipping operation. Instead, focus on expanding in an area that makes send for your business. Real-time online inventory, BOPIS, local delivery, and ship-to-store can each strengthen eCommerce sales.

The important part is choosing an approach that fits the business and being prepared for the work that comes with it. Online orders still need to be picked, packed, fulfilled, and tracked. Importantly, inventory needs to be accurate enough for customers to trust what they see online.

For more ideas, see 6 Ways Pet Stores Can Execute eCommerce (And How It Drives More Local Sales).

How to Choose the Right Growth Strategy for Your Pet Store

You don’t need to pursue every growth strategy at once.

If customers regularly call to ask about inventory, improving online product visibility could be a good place to start.

If customers want to order ahead and pick up in the store, BOPIS may make more sense than building a shipping operation.

If you already offer grooming, there may be an opportunity to do more with those recurring customer visits.

If you have a loyalty program, the next opportunity might be using its data more effectively.

The point is, the right growth strategy is the one that builds on what your business already does well and gives your customers more of what they want.

Growth Doesn't Have to Look the Same for Every Retailer

The latest pet retail numbers show that growth is coming from a range of sources. Larger retailers are expanding locations, investing in services, building loyalty and recurring revenue, expanding assortments, and growing eCommerce.

For indie pet retailers, the opportunity isn't to replicate what the largest chains are doing. It's to look at where the industry is heading and consider which opportunities fit the business.

Because every type of growth brings its own operational demands. Adding locations means managing more inventory and customer data across stores. Growing eCommerce means keeping online and in-store sales and inventory aligned. Expanding services adds another layer of scheduling and customer management.

So the question isn't just, “How can we grow?”

It's also, “Can the systems behind the business support that growth?”

How to Support Pet Retail Growth with the Right Technology

Growth adds more for a retailer to manage. More online orders mean more fulfillment. More locations mean more inventory to coordinate. Services add scheduling and customer information to the mix.

The right technology can help your team manage that added complexity as the business grows. PetStack brings POS, inventory, loyalty, order management, and forecasting and reordering together on one system, with additional capabilities for eCommerce, services, CRM, and webstore fulfillment through PetStack Plus.

The goal is to give your team the tools to support the growth you're pursuing without creating a separate system or process every time the business expands into something new.

If you’d like to see how PetStack could support your growth, schedule a discovery call.