Most brands want to build authentic relationships with their consumers. But for animal health organizations, this is often easier said than done. At any given moment, there are tensions at play behind the scenes — and while they are natural frictions, they often get in the way of crafting human connections, making it tricky to build trust.
For the past few months, we have been exploring these frictions: talking to clients, listening to consumers, and using our sector knowledge to define the blocks which ultimately build trust. From navigating the top-down approach to delivery that frequently disempowers ground workers who want to be part of shaping a mission, to exploring how overly scientific and technical messaging can make it difficult to emotionally connect with and relate to audiences.
Nowhere is this tension greater than the friction between cost and care. The desire to drive profit can be a tough pill to swallow for veterinary and petcare professionals, who in most cases got into the healthcare industry to deliver care, not boost sales. And it is due to this friction that cultural buy-in often falls by the wayside; frustrating corporate teams who are primarily evaluated on meeting targets instead of delivering care to the end patient.
The Cost-Care Conundrum
There’s immense pressure on the veterinary industry right now. Rising inflation combined with the overflow of the cost of living crisis is making it harder than ever for brands to drive results, as consumers aren’t as willing to part with their cash. Faced with mounting bills, pet owners are questioning the necessity of recommended treatments — or worse, delaying essential care due to financial constraints, with 28% simply unable to afford taking their pet to a vet.
As a result, the role of the specialist and the practice is slowly being eroded. In an effort to keep up with the cost-savvy customer, the animal healthcare sector is feeling more pressure than ever to persuade consumers they offer value for money and can unlock critical benefits; showcasing their innovative solutions in an effort to convey how they surpass those of their competitors.
The cost-care conundrum is being felt across the sector, in equal measure. Our recent study of 100 vets across the US found that 58% believe technology can improve their practice, but they are ultimately being held back by the cost of investing in those solutions. Despite many practices knowing they can bolster the bottom-line, they simply don’t understand them well enough to put them into practise. They are struggling to compute the intersection of cost and the provision of care; and are unable to determine how they will see tangible results.
But while cost barriers persist, there’s hope on the horizon: quality of care is still the biggest influencing factor of all. 71% of pet owners say quality is the key factor when deciding what to purchase, and in veterinary practices across the US, the same proportion of vets are confident that improved diagnostics will help them to deliver better care and increase their bottom-line. Despite the gloom of the economy, there is a desire for trusted solutions that will offer tangible impact — if that impact can be translated in a personally relevant and tangible way. The challenge that brands are now facing is how to seize that opportunity, and ensure the end-user understands the quality of their product, without getting too lost in the detail.
Learning from the landscape
As a sector, we can learn a lot from Chewy — the most highly-regarded eCommerce platform in the US. It commands a 50% share of the US pet care eCommerce market, and in 2025, reported $228M in revenue. Some of the ways it’s achieved this tremendous success are:
- Leaning into Auto-Ship: Chewy offers an auto-ship service that allows customers to set up regular deliveries of pet supplies, ensuring they never run out of essentials. This is a smart solution that’s driving brand loyalty — with many consumers turning to larger pack sizes and discounts. Chewy is seizing upon this; providing a 35% discount on the first auto-ship order to incentivize repeat ordering. In markets such as the UK, models such as this are common in veterinary practices too, with bundling services including annual healthcare checkups, flea and tick treatments, and discounts on branded products available for a recurring annual fee through products such as PetCare Plans.
- Personalizing Communications: Chewy leverages data analytics to tailor marketing efforts and product recommendations to meet the specific needs of pet owners. This smart usage of first party data is cornerstone to building trust, enabling brands to tailor their communication strategies and increase the relatability of their messaging. A personal approach to communications should not be underestimated; 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences — and it has a direct impact on profits, increasing revenue by 10-15% compared to brands that don't offer personalized experiences.
- Delivering an excellent customer experience. Chewy provides 24/7 customer support through various channels, including phone, chat, and email. This might feel like a tall order for many animal healthcare brands, who often struggle to connect leads and enquiries with teams in real-time — but considering that millennials consider a phone wait time of more than 10 minutes a negative experience, a delayed response time of days if not weeks due to poor system connectivity can have drastic impacts on conversion: eroding trust and making brands vulnerable to competitors who respond more quickly and effectively.
What it boils down to
Brands can learn a lot from organizations like Chewy, but what it ultimately boils down to is quite simple. Brands need to talk to their audiences in relatable ways, show them how their products will positively impact their lives, and use technology to empower the roll-out of this message themselves. Through personalization, tailored offers, and impact messaging that truly resonates with users. And if healthcare brands want to win the support of practices, they must learn to talk to them in ways that matter: leading with care over profit, in the knowledge that this is what’s most important to many purchasers, and communicating how the cost and care can live together in perfect harmony while delivering better patient outcomes.
While the impact of cost might still be a factor, we are already seeing shakeups in the market, which may reduce the burden of cost in the near future. The emergence of pet insurance is playing a key role in this: making it easier for pet owners to access the care their pets need at affordable costs — and helping veterinary practices to deliver their services as a result. While it is well entrenched in the UK, at $1.7 billion in size, it is in relative infancy in the US, with a $5 billion size despite the US’ significantly higher population. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing insights on the emerging insurance industry and how it’s set to disrupt the cost vs care landscape: be sure to sign up to our emails to be the first to hear when the blog is out.