Walmart Adds Pawp’s Telehealth Service for Pets to Membership Program

Walmart Adds Pawp’s Telehealth Service for Pets to Membership

Subscribers to the Walmart+ membership program now have free, unlimited access to Pawp’s telehealth service for pet owners.

Walmart’s introduction of this benefit comes after a pilot program in which Pawp became Walmart+’s most successful limited-time offer of 2023, the retailer said in a Wednesday (May 22) press release.

“This new benefit illustrates our continued evolution, as we strive to provide seamless, time-saving and affordable solutions tailored to our members’ needs,” Venessa Yates, senior vice president and general manager of Walmart+, said in the release.

Pawp’s digital health clinic and telehealth platform connects pet owners with veterinary professionals who can provide a second opinion or general guidance around the clock via text and video, according to the release.

Walmart+ members can now use the service at no charge, with unlimited on-demand virtual visits, and receive personalized post-visit care plans and product recommendations, per the release.

Pawp is designed to make pet care convenient and accessible to a larger part of the population, Marc Atiyeh, CEO of Pawp, said in the release.

“We’re excited to deepen this relationship by incorporating Pawp as an ongoing, first-of-its-kind pet health benefit for Walmart+ and look forward to supporting Walmart+ members with their pets care for years to come,” Atiyeh said.

In another recent move in this space, Walmart said in September 2023 that it was launching its first pet services center.

The first such center was opened in Dallas, Georgia, and offers routine veterinary care, grooming and a self-serve dog wash within a dedicated storefront.

Walmart said at the time that it already offers in-store vet clinics at more than 65 stores across the country, owned and operated by PetIQ, and that the new center will act as a pilot for a model that could expand to other communities.

Another retailer, Petco, said in November 2023 that it has experienced double-digital growth in the pet healthcare services area and is looking to expand that offering.

At the time, Petco operated 282 full-service veterinary hospitals, averaging 14,181 veterinary clinics per week.

Pet supply subscriptions are among the subscription industry’s top segments in consumer sign-up and retention, second only to household supplies, according to the “Subscription Commerce Readiness Report: The Loyalty Factor,” a PYMNTS Intelligence and sticky.io collaboration.

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