Pet Care Industry & Market Guide: Trends and Opportunities

The pet care industry is large, but a large market does not automatically translate into growth for every local business. Owners and managers need to understand where spending is moving, how customers discover providers, and which online capabilities fit their business model.

This guide looks at what the pet care industry includes, how market-size estimates differ, the latest pet care market trends, and how customers find pet businesses. It also explains where digital opportunities exist for groomers, veterinary clinics, boarding facilities, and pet retailers, so businesses can make more informed decisions about their online presence.

What Does the Pet Care Industry Include?

The pet care industry includes businesses and products that support pets throughout ownership, from food and veterinary care to grooming, boarding, training, and other services.

The market is broader than pet products alone. APPA’s US industry data groups major spending areas such as food and treats, veterinary care, supplies and over-the-counter products, and other services.

Pet care segment	What it includes	US spending context
Food and treats	Pet food, treats, and related feeding products	$68.3 billion
Veterinary care	Veterinary services and related care	$41 billion
Supplies and OTC products	Supplies and over-the-counter products	Included in APPA’s broader industry figures
Pet services	Grooming, boarding, training, sitting, walking, and related services	Part of the broader pet care economy

The distinction between product and service businesses matters. A pet retailer may focus on product discovery and reordering, while a groomer may depend more on local visibility, appointment scheduling, and repeat bookings.

For businesses investing in their online presence, the right digital setup should reflect how customers buy from that specific type of pet business.

How Big Is the Pet Care Market?

There is no single global figure that represents the entire pet care market. Estimates vary because research companies use different definitions, geographic coverage, and combinations of categories such as food, veterinary care, grooming, accessories, and other services.

In the US, APPA reported $158 billion in pet industry expenditures in 2025 and projected $165 billion for 2026. APPA also reported that 95 million US households owned at least one pet. These figures provide a useful view of US spending, but they should not be treated as a measure of global demand.

Source	Estimate	Scope	Date or period
APPA	$158 billion	US pet industry expenditures	2025
APPA	$165 billion	US pet industry expenditures	2026 projection
Fortune Business Insights	About $273 billion	Global pet care market	2025 estimate
Straits Research	About $273 billion	Global pet care market	2025 estimate
Grand View Research	$181.9 billion	Global pet care market	2025 estimate
IMARC	About $15.5 billion	Global pet grooming market, scope varies	2025 estimate

The difference between the global estimates is important. A market report covering food, veterinary care, services, accessories, and other categories can produce a very different figure from one using a narrower definition.

The same issue applies to global pet grooming figures. Some estimates focus on grooming services, while others may include related products or accessories. For example, one estimate places the 2025 global pet grooming market at about $15.5 billion, while another estimate for pet grooming services is about $8.44 billion. These figures should not be compared as if they measure exactly the same market.

The practical lesson is simple: when evaluating a pet care market opportunity, check the definition, geography, date, and categories behind the number before using it to guide a business decision.

What Are the Main Pet Care Market Trends?

Several pet care market trends point to continued spending alongside more cautious consumer behaviour. The opportunity is meaningful, but businesses also need to account for value-seeking and differences between segments.

• Steady spending: US pet spending reached $158 billion in 2025. APPA reported a 3.7% increase from the previous year and projected $165 billion for 2026. The figures indicate continued spending, while the projection should be treated as a forecast rather than a guaranteed outcome.
• Value-seeking is becoming more visible. About half of pet owners reported that their spending was unchanged in 2025, while 22% said they spent less. APPA reporting also points to a shift toward essentials over some discretionary purchases. For businesses, this makes clear value and relevant services important considerations.
• Dog and cat ownership remains substantial. APPA reported that dogs were present in 53% of US households and cats in 39%. Changes in household ownership can influence demand across food, veterinary care, grooming, boarding, and other services.
• Services and digital channels are gaining attention. Morgan Stanley Research identified services and digital channels as areas of opportunity, with online purchases expected to reach 39% of pet spending over the following six months, compared with 35% previously. This is a US survey-based expectation, not a global forecast.
• Digital access is becoming part of service discovery. Subscription models and apps that put pet services in owners’ hands are among the trends discussed for 2026. These developments make it useful for businesses to consider how customers discover, book, manage, and return to services online.

For a local business, these trends should be treated as context rather than proof of future growth. A growing industry can still contain businesses with different customer patterns, competitive pressures, and digital needs.

For businesses ready to act on these digital trends, pet care website design and development services can help plan an online presence around your services and customers.

How Do Pet Care Businesses Reach Customers?

Pet care businesses can reach customers through several discovery channels, and each gives the business a different level of control.

• Local search: Helps customers looking for a nearby groomer, vet, boarding facility, trainer, or retailer discover relevant businesses when they have a specific need.
• Reviews and referrals: Provide social proof and can support decisions where trust matters, particularly for services involving an animal’s health or care.
• Social media: Gives businesses a way to show services, facilities, expertise, pets, and customer experiences in a visual format.
• Marketplaces and booking platforms: Can provide discovery and booking functionality, but the business becomes dependent on the platform’s environment and customer journey.
• Owned website: Gives a business a central place to explain its services, location, policies, booking process, expertise, and other information it controls.

Businesses looking for a broader framework can review these pet care marketing strategies alongside their own customer acquisition approach.

The important distinction is between being discoverable somewhere and owning the customer experience. A marketplace may help someone find a business, while an owned website can provide the information and service journey around that decision.

Where Do Digital Opportunities Exist?

Digital investment becomes more useful when it solves a specific customer or operational problem. A business does not need every possible feature. It needs the capabilities that match how customers discover and use its services.

Business type	Useful online priority	Why it matters
Groomer	Local visibility, service information, booking and rebooking	Grooming can involve recurring appointments and convenience-driven decisions
Veterinary clinic	Clear services, trust information, appointment access, patient guidance	Veterinary decisions can involve high trust and health-related information
Boarding facility	Availability information, facility details, booking, policies	Customers may need confidence about the service and practical arrangements
Pet retailer	Product discovery, ordering, reordering, useful content	Customers may value convenience for repeat purchases

For businesses considering a new website or a redesign, pet care industry solutions can provide a relevant starting point for thinking about the online experience.

The goal is not to add technology simply because it is available. A grooming business may gain more value from a clear booking journey than from a complex content system, while a retailer may need stronger product discovery and reordering options.

What Should Pet Care Businesses Consider Online?

Before investing in a website, booking system, marketplace presence, or other digital tools, businesses should evaluate the role each channel will play.

• Owned website: Build a digital home you control. Your website can bring service information, location details, trust signals, and customer actions into one place. If you rely only on external platforms, changes to those platforms can affect how customers discover or interact with your business.
• Mobile experience: Make important information easy to use on smaller screens. Customers may search for a nearby service or appointment while using a phone. A mobile experience should make key information and actions easy to find.
• Booking fit: Match the booking process to the service. Online booking can be useful where customers need appointments, but the system should fit the actual workflow. Adding a booking tool without considering scheduling requirements can create unnecessary complexity.
• Trust signals: Answer the questions customers have before choosing. Services involving animals often require confidence in the provider. Clear service descriptions, relevant information, reviews, policies, and business details can help customers evaluate their options.
• Customer relationship: Know which parts of the journey you control. Marketplaces can provide discovery and booking opportunities, but businesses should understand what customer information and interactions remain within the platform.
• Maintenance: Plan for updates after launch. Services, prices, availability, staff information, policies, and booking processes can change. A website should be treated as an ongoing business asset rather than a one-time brochure.
• Measurement: Decide what success means before adding tools. A business may care about appointment requests, repeat bookings, product orders, enquiries, or another action. Defining the objective first helps prevent unnecessary technology investment.
• Avoid unnecessary tools: Start with the customer problem. More features do not automatically create a better experience. The right setup is the one that supports the business model and customer journey without adding avoidable maintenance.

For a pet care business, the central question is not simply whether to “go digital.” It is which parts of discovery, trust, booking, education, and repeat business should be supported online.

Why Choose Qrolic

Qrolic Technologies is relevant to pet care businesses that need to think through website design and development as part of their online presence, particularly when customer discovery, service information, and booking fit are important considerations. Businesses can Contact Qrolic to discuss their requirements and the online setup they are considering.

Our Web Services for Pet Care Businesses

• Pet Care Website Design & Development: Qrolic’s pet care website design and development service is focused on creating websites for pet care businesses. It provides an option for businesses that need an online presence aligned with their services, customer journey, and practical website requirements.

Conclusion

The pet care industry represents a large and diverse market, but headline market numbers do not tell a local business where its opportunity lies. US spending remains substantial, while value-seeking and differences between segments show why businesses need to look beyond broad growth figures. The practical opportunity is to match digital investment with customer behaviour, whether that means local visibility, service information, booking, education, or repeat purchasing. A thoughtful approach to the pet care industry can help businesses decide what to build, what to maintain, and which channels they want to control.

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