CNBC reports that “Amazon is considering an expansion into veterinary telehealth in its latest bid to compete with Walmart, which began offering the service to Walmart+ subscribers earlier this year.”
According to the story, Amazon, “which has already expanded into human health with its acquisition of One Medical, is a dominant player in pet food and supplies. But it has not so far meaningfully invested in pet health, which is expected to drive growth in the $137 billion pet market … Veterinary telehealth allows pet parents to have virtual appointments with veterinarians and veterinary technicians. The service is similar to human telemedicine.”
CNBC notes that “earlier this year, Walmart signed a deal with veterinary telehealth provider Pawp to offer Walmart+ subscribers free access to the startup’s membership for a year. The offering is set to expire Nov. 19, less than a week before Black Friday and right around the time the pet holiday shopping season begins.
Amazon could turn to Pawp to fuel a potential pet telehealth offering in time for the holiday season because Pawp has already proven it can scale with a large retailer.
“Amazon could also partner with one of the dozens of other pet telehealth startups on the market or build its own practice, which is what Chewy did when it began offering the service during the Covid pandemic.”
KC’s View:
I wonder if Amazon would, in essence, take Walmart’s leftovers. If it is going to get into the pet telehealth business, I’d guess that it would make more sense to make a deal with some partner other than Pawp.
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