Dive Brief:
- Pet Supplies Plus debuted its first mobile app, the pet retailer announced last week. The app is available on iOS and Android devices.
- The app features a biometric login and push notifications. Users can shop, schedule grooming appointments and redeem their rewards on their mobile device.
- The app arrived shortly before Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash completed a separation from the Franchise Group this week.
Dive Insight:
With its new app, Pet Supplies Plus aims to provide a better user interface compared to a mobile browser.
The “majority” of Pet Supplies Plus shoppers connect with the company via mobile devices and the app release is part of the retailer’s efforts to create a more intuitive shopping experience for its customers, according to the company.
“We wanted to give our neighbors an even more convenient way to shop Pet Supplies Plus right at their fingertips,” Chris Rowland, CEO of Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N' Wash, said in a statement. “The app mirrors the full capabilities of our website in a more user-friendly format, giving neighbors more time to enjoy what matters most: their pets. Even when they interact with our brand online, neighbors will be pleased to know they are supporting a locally owned and operated business.”
Along with the app debut, the retailer announced that it has expanded its gift card program. Shoppers can now buy and use gift cards online and have them delivered electronically or by mail.
Pet Supplies Plus, which dubs itself the largest independent pet retailer in North America, acquired Wag N’ Wash for an undisclosed sum in February 2022, bringing its pet food, self-wash and grooming business into the fold.
After that acquisition, the two companies began securing new franchise agreements.
Last year, Franchise Group, which then owned Pet Supplies Plus, The Vitamin Shoppe and Buddy’s Home Furnishing, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company exited bankruptcy seven months later, operating only Pet Supplies Plus and Buddy’s Home Furnishings.
