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We analyzed over 2,400 emails from 70 popular pet products e-commerce brands over three months and compared them with the previous quarter. This playbook highlights key trends in send times, frequency, subject lines, and CTAs to help you optimize your email campaigns.
This report is based on data collected from publicly available email campaigns sent by pet products ecommerce brands between April and June 2025 to random subscribers. While we strive for accuracy in our analysis, individual results may vary based on specific audience demographics, market conditions, and other factors. The strategies outlined in this report should be tested and adapted to your unique business needs. TargetBay is not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this report unless explicitly stated. All trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective owners.
We analyzed 2,453 emails for pet products marketing—433 from Q1 2025 and 2,020 from Q2 2025—spanning campaigns from January to June 2025. This includes data from over 70 pet products e-commerce brands, including leaders such as Baxter Boo, Cherry Brook, and Petco. Our analysis covers send times, deliverability, subject lines, CTAs, preview texts, and overall email strategy shifts between quarters. Whether you’re a brand owner or email marketer, this report highlights what’s working, what’s not for pet products marketing, and how the best-performing brands are adapting. Use these insights to strengthen your email strategy, increase inbox placement, and stay ahead in a highly competitive industry.
| Metric Studied | Q1 (2025) | Q2 (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Emails Studied | 433 | 2020 |
| Number of Brands Studied | 18 | 68 |
| Average Emails Sent Per Week per brand | 1.85 | 2.29 |
| Email Inbox Rate (%) | 0% | 2.43% |
| Promotion Placement Rate (%) | 100% | 91.98% |
| SPAM Rate (%) | 0% | 5.59% |
| Popular Email Send Time Segment | 9pm - 5am | 3pm - 6pm |
| Most Common Email Type | Discount Emails | Discount Emails |
| Most Common Email CTA | SHOP ALL (45) | Shop Now (160) |
In Q2 2025, email timing emerged as a deliberate strategy across the pet care industry. Out of 2,020 emails analyzed, the most dominant send window was 3pm–6pm, accounting for over 27% of total sends. This was followed by 6pm–9pm (20%) and 9pm–5am (19%), suggesting a clear shift toward late-afternoon and evening engagement.
Compared to Q1, where most emails were sent during work hours (primarily 12pm–3pm), Q2 shows a pivot to later windows. Brands appear to be targeting pet owners post-work, when they’re more likely to scroll through promotions and make relaxed, emotional purchases for their pets.
Purina, a major player, favored the 3pm–6pm slot — likely leveraging its broad audience base during peak digital activity hours.
Brands like Muttmitt, Wuffes, and OnlyNaturalPet preferred 12pm–3pm, maintaining traditional midday engagement.
Meanwhile, brands like TheGreenPetShop, Devora, and Pawss tested later hours (6pm–9pm), possibly aiming to convert users to unwinding after dinner.
This variation suggests a layered strategy: some brands are tapping into routine-driven shoppers (midday emails), while others are reaching impulse buyers in the evening, or even early risers with 5am–9am deliveries (used by 10 brands, including PetHonesty and Pawstruck).
In short, Q2 reveals a smart segmentation by time-of-day, as brands seek optimal inbox moments aligned with their customers’ daily rhythms.
In Q2 2025, ecommerce marketing for pet products turned up the volume. Analyzing over 2,000 emails, brands sent an average of 2.29 emails per week, up from 1.85 emails per week in Q1. This increase signals growing competition for inbox attention and more strategic timing.
Brands like The Turtle Source led the charge with nearly 30 emails per week, likely targeting a niche enthusiast community with frequent sales and product updates. Baxter Boo followed closely at 17.7 emails/week, showing aggressive list engagement through regular campaigns.
When it comes to timing, Saturday emerged as the clear winner, with 35.7% of Q2 emails being sent that day. This marks a shift from Q1’s more even weekday distribution. The weekend preference reflects a calculated move: pet owners have more leisure time, are emotionally available, and are more likely to browse products for their pets.
Brands like Beco Pets, Canine Styles, and Blue-9 favored Saturday, while others like BaxterBoo, Pawstruck, and A Pup Above leaned heavily into Friday sends, priming their audience right before the weekend. Meanwhile, Alphapaw, BowWowLabs, and 4Knines spread campaigns across Wednesday and Sunday, tapping into midweek lulls and pre-week planning routines.
This clear clustering of send days highlights how pet care brands in Q2 adapted their pet product marketing strategies, moving from scattered timing to purposeful delivery windows, aimed at maximizing open rates by aligning with shopper behavior.
Average inbox rate
Promotions Placement Rate
Average Spam Rate
In Q2 2025, the pet care industry faced a deliverability dilemma. Out of 2,020 emails analyzed, only 2.43% reached the primary inbox, while a staggering 91.98% landed in the Promotions tab, and 5.59% landed in Spam folders. This is only a slight improvement over Q1, where 100% of pet product marketing emails were delivered to Promotions, with zero inbox visibility.
While the upward trend in inbox placement is promising, the overall visibility challenge persists. Among brands, PetSuppliesPlusEmail emerged as the best performer with a 50% inbox placement rate, far outpacing others like Blue-9 (17.24%), ApupAbove (8.47%), and PetReleaf (7.86%).
| Pet Care Industry Email Deliverability Rate Comparison | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Email Deliverability | Q1 (%) | Q2 (%) | % Change (Q2 vs Q1) |
| Inbox Rate | 0% | 2.43% | 2.43% |
| Promotions Rate | 100% | 91.98% | -8.02% |
| Spam Rate | 0% | 5.59% | 5.59% |
But the high Spam rate of 5.59% in Q2 is alarming. Emails in Spam aren’t just ignored—they’re outright invisible. This indicates potential overuse of spam triggers like aggressive discount language, poorly authenticated domains, or inconsistent sending patterns.
Meanwhile, the dominance of Promotions means most emails are seen as generic sales blasts. For brands like BaxterBoo and TheTurtleSource, which send high email volumes, this could severely dampen engagement if not addressed.
To optimize deliverability, brands must focus on list hygiene, domain authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), content balance (less salesy, more value-driven), and consistent, personalized sending. As inbox real estate becomes more competitive, strategic deliverability efforts will define whether your brand gets seen, or lost in the shuffle.
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In Q2 2025, pet care brands aggressively optimized their subject lines to capture attention. Out of 2,020 emails analyzed:
Emoji usage was the most dominant strategy, appearing in 1,868 emails (92.5%), up from just 417 emails (96.3%) in Q1’s 433-email dataset—a clear sign that brands like MuttMitt, Wuffes, and PetReleaf are relying on visual appeal to stand out in inboxes.
Discount-driven subject lines were found in 732 emails (36.2%), compared to 220 (50.8%) in Q1. Keywords like “% off,” “deal,” and “sale” were common.
Personalization strategies (e.g., “your,” “we,” “our”) appeared in 620 emails (30.7%), a significant jump from 118 (27.3%) in Q1—suggesting stronger efforts to emotionally connect with pet owners.
Product mentions (like “dog,” “treat,” or “groom”) showed up in 444 emails (22%), up from 48 (11.1%) in Q1.
This quarter-over-quarter increase across all strategies indicates a broader trend in the pet care industry toward more expressive, direct, and relevant subject lines—with emojis and discounts leading the charge.
Among the 113 Q2 emails flagged as spam:
The word “free” appeared in 6 spam emails (5.3%), compared to 143 non-spam emails.
“Limited time” showed up in just 1 spam email vs. 13 non-spam emails.
Surprisingly, high-risk phrases like “buy now,” “guaranteed,” or “risk-free” were not present—either deliberately avoided or blocked by spam filters at the domain level.
The takeaway? Even common promotional terms like “free” can raise deliverability risks when overused or paired with weak sender authentication. For better inbox placement, brands should focus on balanced, value-driven subject lines rather than aggressive urgency or repeated discounting.
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In Q2 2025, pet care brands heavily utilized preview texts as an extension of their subject line strategy. Out of 2,020 emails analyzed, 98.3% included preview text—an increase from 97.7% in Q1. This slight uptick suggests that brands are more consistently leveraging this prime inbox real estate.
The dominant strategy in Q2 was Neutral/Other, accounting for 78.5% of preview lines. These previews neither directly extended nor strongly complemented the subject lines—often serving as secondary headlines or leftover meta content. Complementary previews—which added persuasive offers or reinforced urgency—appeared in 21.2% of emails. Meanwhile, only 0.4% used Extension strategies, where the preview directly continued the subject line (e.g., “Save 20% Today” ➝ “Offer ends at midnight!”).
In contrast, Q1 emails used complementary previews more effectively, making up 31.9% of campaigns, with brands like ApupAbove, PetReleaf, and Pawstruck consistently linking subject and preview messaging.
This shift in Q2 away from value-adding preview content may contribute to poor engagement—especially when over 90% of emails are already routed to Promotions. Optimizing previews to complement subject lines with urgency, benefits, or personalization can increase open rates without risking deliverability.
As inbox competition stiffens, brands like BaxterBoo and MuttMitt that align subject and preview messaging are better positioned to stand out in a sea of noise.
In Q2 2025, pet care brands relied heavily on Discount emails, which made up 33.6% of all campaigns. This is a drop from 47.1% in Q1, signaling a shift away from purely price-driven promotions. Discount subject lines like “BOGO SALE” or “45% Off This Weekend 🎉” dominate the inbox—especially from brands like BaxterBoo and PoochAndMutt, who often use deep offers to trigger immediate purchases.
Promotional emails comprised 30.9% of Q2 sends (up from 19.2% in Q1), suggesting brands are shifting focus to product launches and collection highlights. A subject like “Happy Mother’s Day From Cherrybrook ❤️” illustrates this approach—emotional, event-driven, and visually engaging.
Discount
Promotional
Personalized
Others
Personalized emails also rose slightly to 25.0% in Q2 (vs. 21.9% in Q1). These use direct language like “Choosing the Right Pack for Your Dog”, aiming to build long-term trust and relevance. Brands like PetReleaf and ApupAbove are leading this approach.
Meanwhile, 10.5% of emails were classified under “Other Engagement”—a catch-all that includes:
This slight drop from 11.8% in Q1 shows brands are favoring clear commercial intent over soft-touch messaging. But the brands that balance both—discount + relationship—stand the best chance at long-term inbox success.
In Q2 2025, pet care brands doubled down on clear, conversion-oriented CTAs, with over 30+ unique CTA variations normalized to common themes. The most frequently used CTA was a classic: “Shop now”, used in hundreds of emails, particularly by top senders like BaxterBoo, Cherrybrook, and Petco.
We grouped CTAs into four strategic types:
Simple Navigation (e.g., “Shop now”, “View product”) – 65.4% of all Q2 CTAs (up from 52.1% in Q1)
Discount-Oriented (e.g., “Get 20% Off”) – 15.3% in Q2 (down from 22.8% in Q1)
Urgency-Based (e.g., “Buy now”, “Ends tonight”) – 11.7%, slightly increased from 10.4% in Q1
Personalized (e.g., “Find your fit”, “Treat your pet”) – 5.8%, nearly flat quarter-over-quarter
The strategy shift is clear: brands are simplifying their CTA language to drive immediate, frictionless action, especially within mobile-first inboxes. For instance, Petco uses CTAs like “Top Deals ❯” or “Shop now”, while Petshop.co.uk deploys “Click here to shop now”—direct and non-intrusive.
However, overly aggressive CTAs like “Buy now” or ALL CAPS variants may raise deliverability risks, especially if paired with discount-heavy subject lines. Still, Q2 data shows that well-balanced urgency + clarity boosts engagement without affecting inbox placement
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In Q2 2025, there is a clear evolution in pet product marketing strategies across email send time, content, and intent. With a 23% increase in average email campaigns sent per week, brands significantly ramped up volume, led by Baxter Boo, Cherry Brook, and Petco.
Weekend send times dominated, with Saturday capturing 35.7% of all sends (up from just 18.2% in Q1), suggesting brands are targeting relaxed, weekend browsers.
Inbox placement slightly improved to 2.4% in Q2 (up from 0%), while Spam rose to 5.6%, highlighting the deliverability challenge of overly promotional content in email marketing for petcare businesses.
The email content strategy also shifted.
Discount emails dropped to 33.6% in Q2 from 47.1% in Q1, while Promotional (30.9%) and Personalized (25%) messages rose, showing increased brand emphasis on product awareness and customer relevance.
Meanwhile, 98.3% of emails used preview text (up from 97.7%), though fewer of them were strategically complementary.
CTA strategies also evolved: “Shop now” dominated, but discount-driven CTAs declined, while simple navigation CTAs rose by 13%.
Q2 ecommerce marketing for pet products is less discount-heavy, more strategically timed, and increasingly focused on brand presence over price. With inbox competition rising, pet care brands are shifting toward clarity, personalization, and weekend engagement to capture attention and clicks.
➤ Schedule your biggest campaigns for weekends.
➤ Stick to clean, mobile-friendly CTAs like “Shop now” or “View offer”, avoid all caps or overly aggressive CTAs.
➤ Use fewer spam-trigger words (e.g., “Free”), authenticate your domain (SPF/DKIM), and avoid using too many links or images.
➤ Make your preview line support the subject—add urgency, exclusivity, or a customer benefit.
➤ Use “your” or pet-related language. Try subject lines like “A special treat for your pup.”
➤ Mix in product launches, tips, or reviews—not just offers—to avoid fatigue and spam filters.
Begin by analyzing your current email metrics against the benchmarks in this report. Identify gaps in your strategy and prioritize areas for improvement based on potential impact.
Create a structured testing plan to experiment with different send times, subject line formulas, and CTA strategies. Document results and iterate based on performance data.
Implement more granular audience segmentation based on purchase behavior, engagement level, and product preferences to deliver more relevant content to each subscriber.
With over 60% of pet products marketing emails opened on mobile devices, ensure your templates are fully responsive and CTAs are easily “tappable” on smaller screens.
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The pet product marketing for ecommerce brands is growing more competitive with every inbox, and email marketing is proving to be a key battleground in Q2 2025.
As this analysis shows, it’s no longer enough to rely on discounts alone; success now depends on email deliverability, timing, and how well you connect with your audience.
From personalized subject lines and strategic send times to cleaner CTAs and preview texts that actually work, Q2’s standout performers like Baxter Boo, Cherry Brook, and Petco show that attention to detail leads to better engagement and ultimately, more revenue.
As inboxes get busier, brands that balance promotional offers with relevant, relationship-building emails will come out ahead. If you’re ready to fine-tune your strategy or don’t want to leave deliverability to chance, our team at TargetBay is here to help. Let’s make your emails work harder—and smarter—starting now.
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