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, people familiar with the matter told CNBC.
Veterinary telehealth allows pet parents to have virtual appointments with veterinarians and veterinary technicians.
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.
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.
Persons:
Pawp
Organizations:
Walmart, CNBC, Veterinary, Pawp, Black