Petco and Nationwide Team Up to Promote Insurance and Care for Pets
Petco and Nationwide today announced plans for a multi-year partnership to co-develop integrated and affordable pet health, wellness and protection solutions for every stage of a pet’s life, with the goal of better pet health and wellness outcomes for the more than 90 million pet families in the US.
Petco’s fully integrated ecosystem of pet health and wellness solutions — including their more than 1,500 Petco pet care centers — and Nationwide’s deep claims data set and pet protection and insurance capabilities will be at the center of the comprehensive programs expected to be available in 2023. With the ability to cross-promote and market to each other’s customer base and beyond, the pet-serving companies will leverage their collective infrastructure, expertise and more than 150 years of insights from a rapidly growing customer base of more than 25 million pet families.
“Receiving the medical support pets need throughout their lives is critical for both pets and their families,” said Petco SVP Omnichannel Customer Experience, Jenny Wolski. “The customized, data-driven pet insurance solutions we’re developing in partnership with Nationwide will be designed to expand families’ access to Petco’s full range of pet care services, giving them longer and healthier lives together.”
Pet insurance plays a significant role in helping families say “yes” to care they may not otherwise be able to afford, yet only about 2.5 percent of pets in the US are estimated to be insured, according to 2021 data from the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA). A 2021 VetSuccess study sponsored by Nationwide found dogs and cats insured by Nationwide visited veterinarians 73 percent and 43 percent more often, respectively, than pets without health insurance.
“Forty years ago, Nationwide issued the first pet health insurance policy in the US for TV’s Lassie. For every year since, more customers have trusted us to protect their pets than any other insurer. Sustaining our market leadership has been driven by continuous, customer-focused innovation — including as the first to offer voluntary benefits plans, avian and exotic coverage, telehealth and preferred pricing on prescription drugs,” said Nationwide pet insurance President and Chief Pet Officer Heidi Sirota. “Our partnership with Petco is another game-changing move that will reshape the pet care industry by expanding access to care, delivering actionable health insights and improving outcomes for millions of pets and their families.”
These new offerings are expected to focus on end-to-end pet care fulfilled through Petco’s pharmacy, veterinary hospitals or clinics and other health and wellness offerings, including Petco’s revolutionary Vital Care program. Coverage will include routine preventative care like vaccinations and unexpected medical needs related to accidents or serious illnesses. Petco insurance offerings available to customers and Petco partners (employees) are expected to be delivered exclusively through Nationwide pet insurance in the future.
“With a growing number of pets in US homes and a need and desire from their loving families for them to live as healthy and happy as possible, expanding pet parents’ access to the care that supports all elements of a pets’ whole health — including access to veterinary care as well as physical, mental, social and home health — is a key component of Petco’s focus on purpose-driven performance,” said Dr. Whitney Miller, Chief Veterinarian at Petco. “Nationwide’s proven track record of enabling extraordinary care for millions of pets is perfectly aligned with our mission of improving lives. With our combined efforts focused on what’s best for pets, we aim to streamline the pet insurance process not only for our customers but the veterinary community at large.”