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CONSUMER & RETAIL

Pet Industry Index 2.0: Chewy Leads AI Brand Mentions

Published June 28, 2026 · Updated November 3, 2026

Chewy: 83/288 (28.8%; 95% interval 23.9–34.3%). Royal Canin: 50/288 (17.4%; 95% interval 13.4–22.2%).

288

AI answers analyzed across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity

28.8%

of answers named Chewy, the most-named (83 of 288)

45

tracked brands named at least once (of 54)

92.5%

of Google searches showed an AI Overview (49 of 53)

Version 2. This version replaces the first version of this study, first published June 28, 2026. It uses measured counts, so the two versions are not comparable. Version 2 asks 24 questions three times each on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity (288 answers) and adds Google AI Overviews. Every rate comes with its count and a 95% interval.

What the data shows

01

83/288 (28.8%)

Chewy appeared in 83 of 288 four-engine answers (CI 23.9–34.3%). Royal Canin appeared in 50 of 288 (17.4%, CI 13.4–22.2%). The intervals do not overlap.
02

79/288 (27.4%)

Chewy was the first brand named in 79 of 288 answers, more than any other tracked brand. Its average first position was 1.1.
03

62/288 (21.5%)

Chewy's own domains were cited in 62 of 288 grounded answers, more than any other tracked brand. PetSmart followed at 21 of 288. 18 of 54 tracked brands had 0 of 288.
04

49/53 (92.5%)

Google AI Overviews appeared on 49 of 53 searches (CI 82.1–97%). On the other 4, no overview was shown.
05

19/49 (38.8%)

Chewy was the brand named most often in AI Overviews, at 19 of 49, followed by Amazon at 9 of 49 (18.4%). In the four-engine set, Chewy was named in 83 of 288 answers (28.8%).
06

64/288 (22.2%)

forbes.com was cited in 64 of 288 grounded four-engine answers, with 73 of 2,459 citations (3%). chewy.com came second with 66 citations in 56 answers (19.4%).

Appearance rate across 288 four-engine answers. The bar is the 95% confidence interval; overlapping bars cannot be told apart at this sample size.

Which brands AI engines name

Chewy
28.8%
Royal Canin
17.4%
Petco
16.0%
Embrace Pet Insurance
15.6%
The Farmer's Dog
15.3%
Amazon
14.2%
JustFoodForDogs
13.9%
Purina Pro Plan
13.2%
Lemonade Pet
12.8%
PetSmart
12.8%
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance
12.2%
Hill's Science Diet
11.5%
Pets Best
11.5%
Freshpet
11.1%
Trupanion
11.1%
#NameNamed inAppearance rate95% interval
1Chewy83/28828.8%23.9–34.3%
2Royal Canin50/28817.4%13.4–22.2%
3Petco46/28816.0%12.2–20.6%
4Embrace Pet Insurance45/28815.6%11.9–20.3%
5The Farmer's Dog44/28815.3%11.6–19.9%
6Amazon41/28814.2%10.7–18.7%
7JustFoodForDogs40/28813.9%10.4–18.4%
8Purina Pro Plan38/28813.2%9.8–17.6%
9Lemonade Pet37/28812.8%9.5–17.2%
10PetSmart37/28812.8%9.5–17.2%
11ASPCA Pet Health Insurance35/28812.2%8.9–16.4%
12Hill's Science Diet33/28811.5%8.3–15.7%
13Pets Best33/28811.5%8.3–15.7%
14Freshpet32/28811.1%8.0–15.3%
15Trupanion32/28811.1%8.0–15.3%

The full list

Own-domain citation is the share of 288 grounded answers that cited the tracked name's own domains (subdomains included). Citation share is of all 2,459 citations.

#BrandNamed inAppearance rate95% intervalFirst mentionOwn-domain citationCitation share
1Chewy83/28828.8%23.9–34.3%1.121.5% (62/288)3%
2Royal Canin50/28817.4%13.4–22.2%2.31.7% (5/288)0.3%
3Petco46/28816%12.2–20.6%2.76.6% (19/288)0.8%
4Embrace Pet Insurance45/28815.6%11.9–20.3%3.66.6% (19/288)0.9%
5The Farmer's Dog44/28815.3%11.6–19.9%3.52.1% (6/288)0.2%
6Amazon41/28814.2%10.7–18.7%2.81.7% (5/288)0.2%
7JustFoodForDogs40/28813.9%10.4–18.4%3.95.6% (16/288)0.7%
8Purina Pro Plan38/28813.2%9.8–17.6%2.21.4% (4/288)0.2%
9Lemonade Pet37/28812.8%9.5–17.2%3.81% (3/288)0.1%
10PetSmart37/28812.8%9.5–17.2%2.77.3% (21/288)1.1%
11ASPCA Pet Health Insurance35/28812.2%8.9–16.4%2.84.5% (13/288)0.5%
12Hill's Science Diet33/28811.5%8.3–15.7%1.42.1% (6/288)0.2%
13Pets Best33/28811.5%8.3–15.7%3.93.5% (10/288)0.4%
14Freshpet32/28811.1%8–15.3%4.45.2% (15/288)0.6%
15Trupanion32/28811.1%8–15.3%4.12.4% (7/288)0.3%
16Nom Nom31/28810.8%7.7–14.9%42.4% (7/288)0.3%
17IAMS29/28810.1%7.1–14.1%4.60% (0/288)0%
18Healthy Paws28/2889.7%6.8–13.7%4.42.4% (7/288)0.3%
19Spot Pet Insurance26/2889%6.2–12.9%3.70.7% (2/288)0.1%
20Ollie24/2888.3%5.7–12.1%3.82.4% (7/288)0.3%
21Rover24/2888.3%5.7–12.1%15.9% (17/288)0.8%
22Tractive24/2888.3%5.7–12.1%12.1% (6/288)0.2%
23Wag!24/2888.3%5.7–12.1%25.2% (15/288)0.6%
24Whisker24/2888.3%5.7–12.1%1.10.7% (2/288)0.1%
25BarkBox23/2888%5.4–11.7%2.40% (0/288)0%
26Litter-Robot23/2888%5.4–11.7%1.91.7% (5/288)0.2%
27Fetch Pet Insurance22/2887.6%5.1–11.3%4.74.2% (12/288)0.5%
28MetLife Pet Insurance22/2887.6%5.1–11.3%4.24.9% (14/288)0.6%

The full list (continued)

#BrandNamed inAppearance rate95% intervalFirst mentionOwn-domain citationCitation share
29Nationwide Pet Insurance19/2886.6%4.3–10.1%5.33.1% (9/288)0.4%
30Figo Pet Insurance18/2886.3%4–9.7%6.90.3% (1/288)0%
31Super Chewer14/2884.9%2.9–8%3.40% (0/288)0%
32Pumpkin Pet Insurance12/2884.2%2.4–7.1%6.30.3% (1/288)0%
33PupBox12/2884.2%2.4–7.1%30% (0/288)0%
34Petcube10/2883.5%1.9–6.3%20% (0/288)0%
35ORIJEN9/2883.1%1.7–5.8%5.70% (0/288)0%
36Blue Buffalo8/2882.8%1.4–5.4%4.40.3% (1/288)0%
37Fi6/2882.1%1–4.5%2.20.3% (1/288)0%
38PEDIGREE5/2881.7%0.7–4%4.20% (0/288)0%
39ACANA4/2881.4%0.5–3.5%7.50% (0/288)0%
40KitNipBox4/2881.4%0.5–3.5%4.50% (0/288)0%
41Stella & Chewy's3/2881%0.4–3%60% (0/288)0%
42Tractor Supply Company2/2880.7%0.2–2.5%7.50.7% (2/288)0.1%
43A Pup Above1/2880.3%0.1–1.9%61.4% (4/288)0.2%
44Beneful1/2880.3%0.1–1.9%61.4% (4/288)0.2%
45Fromm Family Foods1/2880.3%0.1–1.9%70% (0/288)0%
46ALPO0/2880%0–1.3%–1.4% (4/288)0.2%
47Furbo0/2880%0–1.3%–0% (0/288)0%
48Kibbles 'n Bits0/2880%0–1.3%–0% (0/288)0%
49Modern Animal0/2880%0–1.3%–0% (0/288)0%
50Nutrish0/2880%0–1.3%–0% (0/288)0%
51Sundays for Dogs0/2880%0–1.3%–0% (0/288)0%
52Taste of the Wild0/2880%0–1.3%–0% (0/288)0%
53Wellness0/2880%0–1.3%–0.7% (2/288)0.1%
54Wild Earth0/2880%0–1.3%–0% (0/288)0%

The top eight, side by side

#NameAppearance rateAnswers and intervalOther measures
1Chewy28.8%83/288 answers · 95% CI 23.9–34.3%first-mention position: 1.1; owned-domain citation (62/288): 21.5%; citation share: 3%
2Royal Canin17.4%50/288 answers · 95% CI 13.4–22.2%first-mention position: 2.3; owned-domain citation (5/288): 1.7%; citation share: 0.3%
3Petco16.0%46/288 answers · 95% CI 12.2–20.6%first-mention position: 2.7; owned-domain citation (19/288): 6.6%; citation share: 0.8%
4Embrace Pet Insurance15.6%45/288 answers · 95% CI 11.9–20.3%first-mention position: 3.6; owned-domain citation (19/288): 6.6%; citation share: 0.9%
5The Farmer's Dog15.3%44/288 answers · 95% CI 11.6–19.9%first-mention position: 3.5; owned-domain citation (6/288): 2.1%; citation share: 0.2%
6Amazon14.2%41/288 answers · 95% CI 10.7–18.7%first-mention position: 2.8; owned-domain citation (5/288): 1.7%; citation share: 0.2%
7JustFoodForDogs13.9%40/288 answers · 95% CI 10.4–18.4%first-mention position: 3.9; owned-domain citation (16/288): 5.6%; citation share: 0.7%
8Purina Pro Plan13.2%38/288 answers · 95% CI 9.8–17.6%first-mention position: 2.2; owned-domain citation (4/288): 1.4%; citation share: 0.2%

The four engines named the leading names at similar rates.

ChatGPT

72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded

Same questions, different answers

Chewy
31.9%
Petco
19.4%
Amazon
19.4%
Royal Canin
16.7%
Embrace Pet Insurance
16.7%
Trupanion
15.3%

Claude

72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded

Chewy
29.2%
Royal Canin
16.7%
Petco
16.7%
The Farmer's Dog
16.7%
Lemonade Pet
16.7%
PetSmart
16.7%

Gemini

72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded

Chewy
29.2%
JustFoodForDogs
20.8%
Petco
19.4%
Royal Canin
18.1%
The Farmer's Dog
18.1%
Embrace Pet Insurance
16.7%

Perplexity

72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded

Chewy
25.0%
Royal Canin
18.1%
Embrace Pet Insurance
15.3%
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance
15.3%
The Farmer's Dog
13.9%
Purina Pro Plan
13.9%

Google AI Overviews were captured through 53 U.S. desktop searches and scored only where an overview appeared, so five-engine figures use 288 + 49 = 337 answers.

The fifth engine

92%

Trigger rate: 49 of 53 searches

Google AI Overviews appeared on 49 of 53 searches (92.5%, CI 82.1–97%). The other 4 searches showed no overview. Within the 49 overviews, Chewy was named in 19 (38.8%), Amazon was named in 9 (18.4%), PetSmart was named in 8 (16.3%), Pets Best was named in 8 (16.3%). google.com was the most-cited source, with 88 citations and an appearance in 36 of 49 overviews.

Five-engine rankNameFive-engine rateFour-engine rank
1Chewy30.3%1
2Royal Canin16.9%2
3Petco15.4%3
4Amazon14.8%6
5The Farmer's Dog13.9%5
6Embrace Pet Insurance13.6%4
7PetSmart13.4%10
8Lemonade Pet12.8%9
9JustFoodForDogs12.5%7
10Purina Pro Plan12.5%8

Who each question surfaces first

Six questions from the set. Each tile uses that question's own four-engine answers as the denominator.

QuestionLeaderNextAI Overview
Q01 · 12 answersChewy 100.0%Amazon 100.0%; Petco 100.0%AI Overview shown on 2 of 2 searches
Q02 · 12 answersChewy 100.0%Amazon 100.0%; Royal Canin 8.3%AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches
Q03 · 12 answersRoyal Canin 100.0%Purina Pro Plan 100.0%; Hill's Science Diet 83.3%AI Overview shown on 1 of 1 searches
Q04 · 12 answersThe Farmer's Dog 100.0%Freshpet 100.0%; Ollie 91.7%AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches
Q05 · 12 answersHill's Science Diet 100.0%Royal Canin 100.0%; Purina Pro Plan 100.0%AI Overview shown on 2 of 2 searches
Q06 · 12 answersRoyal Canin 100.0%Purina Pro Plan 8.3%AI Overview shown on 1 of 1 searches

The four engines produced 2,459 citations in total. forbes.com was cited most often, with 73 citations (3%) across 64 answers. Next came chewy.com (66), petmd.com (58), en.wikipedia.org (42), dogster.com (34), petful.com (34).

Four AI engines · share of 288 grounded answers

Most-cited domains

forbes.com
22.2%
chewy.com
19.4%
petmd.com
13.9%
en.wikipedia.org
11.8%
petful.com
11.8%
dogster.com
10.8%
businessinsider.com
10.4%
reddit.com
10.4%
vetstreet.com
9.0%
moneygeek.com
8.7%

Google AI Overviews · share of 49 overviews

google.com
73.5%
youtube.com
30.6%
reddit.com
26.5%
forbes.com
18.4%
pawlicy.com
12.2%
petsbest.com
10.2%
facebook.com
8.2%
cnn.com
6.1%
dogfoodadvisor.com
6.1%
fetchpet.com
6.1%

Citation share by source type

Share of all citations by the type of site cited.

Source typeFour AI engines (of 2,459 citations)Google AI Overviews (of 262 citations)
Other / unclassified1,295 (52.7%)59 (22.5%)
Company / brand sites490 (19.9%)123 (46.9%)
General news / business press251 (10.2%)21 (8%)
Review / comparison publishers206 (8.4%)12 (4.6%)
Community / social87 (3.5%)47 (17.9%)
Reference50 (2%)0 (0%)
Official / government29 (1.2%)0 (0%)
Research / data providers18 (0.7%)0 (0%)
Trade / specialist press12 (0.5%)0 (0%)
Directories / rankings12 (0.5%)0 (0%)
Health publishers9 (0.4%)0 (0%)

How can brands improve their AI visibility?

These steps follow from the measured results above. They describe what the engines cited in this study and are not a guarantee of results.

StepWhat this study measured
Put your facts on your own domain.Chewy's own domains were cited in 21.5% of grounded answers, PetSmart's in 7.3% and Petco's in 6.6%.
Keep your facts accurate on the sites engines cite.The most-cited sites other than the tracked names' own were forbes.com (in 22.2% of grounded answers), petmd.com (13.9%), en.wikipedia.org (11.8%), petful.com (11.8%) and dogster.com (10.8%). General news and business press supplied 10.2% of citations and review and comparison publishers 8.4%.
Check each engine separately.Gemini named JustFoodForDogs in 20.8% of answers against 9.7% on Perplexity. ChatGPT named Petco in 19.4% of answers against 8.3% on Perplexity.
Watch names outside the tracked list.AKC Pet Insurance (19 answers), PetMeds (18 answers), Care.com (15 answers), Spot & Tango (14 answers), Hill's Pet Nutrition (13 answers) were named often but were not tracked.
Re-run the same questions every month.Compare counts and intervals, not ranks. The 24 questions are in the appendix.

What AI answers

Which brand do AI engines name most often?

Chewy, named in 83 of 288 four-engine answers (28.8%, CI 23.9–34.3%). Royal Canin was second at 50 of 288 (17.4%).

Which brand is named first most often?

Chewy was the first brand named in 79 of 288 answers, with an average first position of 1.1.

How often do Google AI Overviews appear for these questions?

An overview appeared on 49 of 53 searches (92.5%, CI 82.1–97%). Within those 49 overviews, Chewy was named most often, in 19 (38.8%).

Which sources do the engines cite?

Across 2,459 four-engine citations, forbes.com was cited most (73 citations, in 64 of 288 grounded answers), followed by chewy.com (66 citations).

Do the four engines agree?

Largely. No tracked name differed by more than 12 points between engines.

How this study was measured

24 questions × 3 runs each × 4 AI engines = 288 answers + 53 Google searches · 49 AI Overviews

24 questions asked three times on each of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, measured October 30, 2026. United States, English; Google retrieval uses desktop results. Models: gpt-5-mini, claude-sonnet-5-5, gemini-3.6-flash only, sonar-pro. Google AI Overviews come from DataForSEO, not inferred chat answers. Appearance counts returned text, including ungrounded answers; citation rates use grounded answers. Longer overlapping names suppress shorter ones; First mention is the earliest eligible name order. Own-domain rates include declared domains and subdomains; shared parent scopes may count for multiple names and cannot be summed as unique citations.

EngineModel IDs calledAskedReturnedGrounded
ChatGPTgpt-5-mini727272
Claudeclaude-sonnet-5-5727272
Geminigemini-3.6-flash727272
Perplexitysonar-pro727272
Google AI OverviewsDataForSEO Google SERP (live, advanced)5349 shown49

Own-domain citations count a domain plus all its subdomains, with the same rule in every table.

Definitions

  • Appearance rate: answers naming the tracked name ÷ answers returned, with Wilson 95% intervals.
  • First mention: average order in which the tracked name first appears (1 = first).
  • Own-domain citation: grounded answers citing the tracked name's domains ÷ grounded answers.
  • Citation share: citations to the tracked name's domains ÷ all citations.

Limits

  • Only 54 tracked brands are ranked; results are not an exhaustive market ranking.
  • Only the tracked brands were scored. Untracked names that appeared often were not scored, including AKC Pet Insurance (19 answers), PetMeds (18 answers), Care.com (15 answers), Spot & Tango (14 answers), Hill's Pet Nutrition (13 answers).
  • 341 of 360 planned results were returned. 19 AI Overview lookups were excluded after at most three total attempts.
  • 53 successful Google searches: 49 overviews shown; 4 without an overview. Failures are excluded, not scored as zero.
  • All returned chat answers had search sources.
  • Unverified own domains are not available, never zero or guessed. Source types use Company / brand sites only for verified official organisations; other unresolved sites are Other / unclassified.
  • Wilson 95% intervals are descriptive; overlapping leading intervals do not establish a sole leader. Measurements do not endorse medical, legal, financial or product claims.
  • Orijen and ACANA, one row in the original report, are counted separately. Whistle is not tracked: its service was retired after Tractive bought it. Petplan is counted as Fetch Pet Insurance, its current name. Mentions of Hill's count for Hill's Science Diet only when the product name appears.
  • Two Core questions name brands: "Chewy vs Amazon for pet supplies?" and "Hill's vs Royal Canin prescription diet?" Without the first, Chewy is named in about 71 of 276 answers, still the most. Without the second, Royal Canin is named in 38 of 276, below Petco (46).
  • Answers came from each engine's API (model IDs above); the consumer apps can answer differently.

Appendix: The 24 questions

Questions marked "Core question" are the original study questions, asked word for word. The others are added neutral questions.

#QuestionGroupSource
01Where is the best place to buy pet supplies online?Pet Industry IndexCore question
02Chewy vs Amazon for pet supplies?Pet Industry IndexCore question
03What is the best dog food for senior dogs?Pet Industry IndexCore question
04Is fresh dog food worth it?Pet Industry IndexCore question
05What food do veterinarians recommend for dogs?Pet Industry IndexCore question
06Hill's vs Royal Canin prescription diet?Pet Industry IndexCore question
07What is the best pet insurance?Pet Industry IndexCore question
08What is the best pet insurance for a French bulldog?Pet Industry IndexCore question
09Where can I fill my dog's prescription online?Pet Industry IndexCore question
10What is the best app to find a dog walker or pet sitter?Pet Industry IndexCore question
11What is the best GPS tracker for dogs?Pet Industry IndexCore question
12What is the best automatic litter box?Pet Industry IndexCore question
13What is the best dog toy subscription box?Pet Industry IndexCore question
14Which US pet retailers offer recurring delivery subscriptions?Pet Industry IndexAdded question
15Which fresh dog food brands publish nutritional adequacy statements?Pet Industry IndexAdded question
16Which dog and cat food brands publish feeding research?Pet Industry IndexAdded question
17Which pet insurers publish coverage details for hereditary conditions?Pet Industry IndexAdded question
18Which pet insurers offer accident-only policies?Pet Industry IndexAdded question
19Which online pet pharmacies require veterinary prescriptions?Pet Industry IndexAdded question
20Which online veterinary services offer consultations in the United States?Pet Industry IndexAdded question
21Which pet service apps publish sitter screening policies?Pet Industry IndexAdded question
22Which dog GPS tracker brands publish battery life and subscription prices?Pet Industry IndexAdded question
23Which automatic litter box brands publish safety information?Pet Industry IndexAdded question
24Which pet subscription services offer products for both dogs and cats?Pet Industry IndexAdded question

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