Data: US National Pet Day fuels digital rush as specialty retailers outperform marketplaces

National Pet Day, celebrated in the US on 11 April, is an annual celebration dedicated to companion animals, encouraging adoption, responsible ownership and greater awareness of pet welfare.

During this year’s event, retailers, marketplaces and brands rolled out targeted promotions. According to data from the intelligence platform Similarweb shared with GlobalPETS, these initiatives helped drive a noticeable spike in pet supply revenue on Amazon, alongside increased search activity on Chewy, Petco and Walmart.

Traffic uplift

Pet specialty retailers saw a larger increase in product page visits than general marketplaces during Pet Day week.

For instance, visits to dog product pages on Chewy and Petco increased by 1.68% and 2.31%, respectively, compared to the previous week, while Amazon was essentially flat (+0.03%) and Walmart declined (-2.27%).

The data points to dog owners relying on specialized retailers for deals and looking for non-essential categories: 2 of the products with the greatest increase in interest on that date were probiotics and fresh or raw meal variety packs.

Cat enrichment

While cat category views didn’t show the same rising interest overall, Similarweb says individual cat enrichment products saw “explosive spikes,” with more than 300% increases in interest in some cases. In particular, Purina Fancy Feast Delights saw a surge in interest among cat owners.

“[This] signals gift purchasing behavior around Pet Day even without broad category growth,” the platform says.

Purina Pro Plan, Blue Buffalo and Frisco were the top 3 brands among consumers looking for dog supplies online, while Fancy Feast, Friskies and Frisco captured more interest among cat owners.

Website and app

Similarweb measured daily visits to the websites of 3 major pet retailers on 11 April.

PetSmart recorded 470,614 visits, up 30.5% year-over-year compared to the same date in 2025. Petco followed closely with 463,681 visits, an increase of 15.9%.

Chewy, which generated the highest overall traffic at 1,239,871 visits, was the only retailer to see a decline, down 5.96% from last year.

Interest was also reflected in mobile app usage. PetSmart saw the strongest growth again, with active users up 31.8% to 113,755. Chewy’s app recorded 366,444 users on Pet Day, a modest 1.1% year-over-year increase (YoY).

Petco, meanwhile, recorded a 3.4% decline in app activity, with 99,597 users on 11 April, according to Similarweb insights.

Amazon insights

Pet Day also translated into strong sales on Amazon. The e-commerce giant sold 15.5 million units of pet supplies from 5 to 11 April, representing a 2.2% YoY increase.

Beyond volume performance, price growth was greater, with revenue of $379.8 million (€324.2M), representing a 9.6% YoY increase.

Food was the top-performing category, making up 22.3% of revenue. It was followed by health supplies (13.1%), treats (11.4%), litter and housebreaking (10.5%), and beds and furniture (6.3%).

• Dogs and cats

Dog products accounted for twice the revenue of cat products, representing 60.1% and 28.5% of total sales that week, respectively. However, the cat category recorded stronger YoY growth.

Dog supplies generated $228.1 million (€194.6M) in sales, up 8.6% YoY. Cat supplies reached $108.4 million (€92.5M), a 9.7% increase from the previous year.

• Other animals

Fish and aquatics captured 3.7% of total revenue, selling $14 million (€12M), a 9.1% jump from last year. The category was followed by small animals, with $6.6 million (€5.6M) in sales (down 2.2% YoY), and birds, which sold $5.4 million (€4.6M), up 8.5% YoY.

Reptiles and amphibians saw revenue of $4.4 million (€3.7M), falling 3.7% YoY, and horses sold $3.3 million (€2.8M), a 2.9% annual increase.

Broader trend

Emotional gifting continues to be a powerful growth engine for the pet category, extending well beyond the US and across key retailers globally.

Data from multiple platforms and retailers show a clear pattern: pet owners consistently increase their spending on occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Black Friday and even Halloween.