Pet Retail Pet Supplies AI Visibility Ranking Trends - November 2026

Answer capsule

The November 2026 Pet Retail Pet Supplies benchmark compares 7 companies across 253 AI answers that met its inclusion rules. Chewy leads with 99 recommendations (39.13% of answers). At least one tracked company was recommended in 130 answers; some answers recommended several companies.

The rankings distinguish being mentioned from receiving an affirmative recommendation, then examine placement and the wording used about each company. Earlier monthly results show how counts and rates changed, with each month using its own answer total. These results describe the answers reviewed, not product quality or customer satisfaction. Differences between monthly samples limit comparisons and do not establish why a result changed.

For the strategic interpretation of this benchmark, read CiteWorks Studio's analysis of How AI Search Is Recommending Pet Retail Pet Supplies

Industry leaderboard

Questions This Section Answers

• How do Pet Retail Pet Supplies rank by recorded AI recommendations in November 2026?

The leaderboard orders companies by how many recorded answers affirmatively recommended them. That count is not the same as reach: a company can appear in many answers without being endorsed, so mention totals and recommendation totals answer different questions.

Ties matter because equal recommendation counts share a rank position; the printed order should not be read as a unique winner. Placement figures are nested inside recommendations, so first-place and shortlist results are subsets rather than separate wins.

Key findings

Tracked-company answer coverage

Questions This Section Answers

• How often did the November 2026 Pet Retail Pet Supplies answer sample recommend any tracked company?

130 distinct answers recommended at least one tracked company. Counting each company recommendation separately gives 336, because an answer can recommend several companies. Answers with no tracked recommendation may still have recommended companies outside this comparison.

Coverage describes how often the tracked companies appear together in the same answers. Every qualified answer mentioned at least one tracked company, but only about half recommended one, and a substantial minority recommended several.

Because one answer can name multiple companies, company-level totals overlap and cannot be summed into a market share. Answers without a tracked recommendation may still have endorsed companies outside this comparison, so coverage is a property of the reviewed answer set, not of the whole market.

Reach and affirmative recommendation

Chewy ranks 1 by recommendation count. Mentions: 222 (87.75%); recommendations: 99 (39.13%). Top 3 placements: 74 (29.25%); first-place placements: 60 (23.72%).

Wording about the company: 128 positive, 94 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 44.6%. The net framing score was 0.58 (defined in Methodology).

123 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 74.75% were Top 3 and 60.61% were first-place.

Chewy illustrates why presence and endorsement diverge. It appears in most answers, yet fewer than half of those mentions also carried an affirmative recommendation, leaving many appearances without endorsement.

Among its recorded recommendations, most were placed in the top three and a majority took first place, so its recommendation count is concentrated near the front of answers. Mention volume alone would overstate how often the answers actually endorsed it.

Recommendation order and placement

Placement describes where an endorsed company sits within an answer's ordering. Top-three and first-place counts are subsets of recommendations, not additions to them, so they should be read as the shape of a recommendation rather than extra wins. A company can appear frequently yet rarely be endorsed, and the printed counts show that pattern differs by company.

The recommendation-to-mention ratio describes the recorded answers, not customers, sales or conversion. A high ratio on a small base of mentions is less stable than the same ratio on a larger base, so strong figures for sparsely mentioned companies warrant caution. These ratios reflect answer wording alone and do not establish why endorsements occurred.

Classified framing in context

Framing classifies the wording surrounding each mention as positive, neutral or negative. It is a description of language in the selected answers, not a measure of reputation, customer sentiment or company quality.

Most companies drew predominantly positive or neutral wording, with negative mentions rare. Neutral wording does not imply indifference, and positive wording does not establish why a recommendation was or was not recorded; framing and recommendation remain separate observations.

Company results in detail

Chewy

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Chewy mentions, recommendations and placement?

Chewy ranks 1 by recommendation count. Mentions: 222 (87.75%); recommendations: 99 (39.13%). Top 3 placements: 74 (29.25%); first-place placements: 60 (23.72%).

Wording about the company: 128 positive, 94 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 44.6%. The net framing score was 0.58 (defined in Methodology).

123 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 74.75% were Top 3 and 60.61% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Chewy's mention count fell from 420 to 222, while its recommendation count fell from 160 to 99. The recommendation rate was 32.59% and 39.13% respectively.

Chewy leads on recommendation count and appears in the large majority of answers, giving it the broadest reach in this sample. Its endorsements cluster near the top of answer orderings, with most recommendations placed in the top three and a majority first.

Its wording was positive or neutral with no negative mentions recorded. The prior month shows lower mention and recommendation counts alongside a lower recommendation rate; the samples differ, so the comparison is descriptive only.

Petco

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Petco mentions, recommendations and placement?

Petco ranks 2 by recommendation count. Mentions: 235 (92.89%); recommendations: 75 (29.64%). Top 3 placements: 64 (25.30%); first-place placements: 11 (4.35%).

Wording about the company: 94 positive, 137 neutral, 4 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 31.9%. The net framing score was 0.38 (defined in Methodology).

160 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 85.33% were Top 3 and 14.67% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Petco's mention count fell from 445 to 235, while its recommendation count fell from 162 to 75. The recommendation rate was 32.99% and 29.64% respectively.

Petco has the highest mention count in the sample but ranks second on recommendations, so its reach exceeds its endorsement. Its recommendation-to-mention ratio is comparatively modest, and many appearances carried no recommendation.

Its placements lean heavily toward the top three rather than first place, and neutral wording outnumbers positive. The prior month recorded higher counts and a slightly higher recommendation rate; the changed samples do not explain the difference.

Pet Smart

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Pet Smart mentions, recommendations and placement?

Pet Smart ranks 3 by recommendation count. Mentions: 166 (65.61%); recommendations: 72 (28.46%). Top 3 placements: 59 (23.32%); first-place placements: 15 (5.93%).

Wording about the company: 89 positive, 73 neutral, 4 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 43.4%. The net framing score was 0.51 (defined in Methodology).

94 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 81.94% were Top 3 and 20.83% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Pet Smart's mention count fell from 309 to 166, while its recommendation count fell from 113 to 72. The recommendation rate was 23.01% and 28.46% respectively.

Pet Smart ranks third on recommendations with a mention rate well below the two leaders, so its endorsements are concentrated among fewer appearances. Its recommendation-to-mention ratio is comparatively strong.

Most of its recommendations landed in the top three, with a smaller first-place share, and positive wording outnumbered neutral. The prior month shows higher counts but a lower recommendation rate; the monthly samples differ, so no trend is established.

Pet Supplies Plus

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Pet Supplies Plus mentions, recommendations and placement?

Pet Supplies Plus ranks 4 by recommendation count. Mentions: 87 (34.39%); recommendations: 35 (13.83%). Top 3 placements: 16 (6.32%); first-place placements: 6 (2.37%).

Wording about the company: 52 positive, 35 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 40.2%. The net framing score was 0.60 (defined in Methodology).

52 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 45.71% were Top 3 and 17.14% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Pet Supplies Plus' mention count fell from 176 to 87, while its recommendation count fell from 79 to 35. The recommendation rate was 16.09% and 13.83% respectively.

Pet Supplies Plus sits mid-table on recommendations with a moderate mention rate, and its recommendation-to-mention ratio is fairly high relative to its reach. Positive wording clearly outnumbers neutral, with no negative mentions recorded.

Its placements are mostly top-three rather than first, and a majority of its mentions carried no endorsement. The prior month recorded higher counts and a slightly higher recommendation rate, a comparison limited by differing samples.

Tractor Supply

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Tractor Supply mentions, recommendations and placement?

Tractor Supply ranks 5 by recommendation count. Mentions: 155 (61.26%); recommendations: 32 (12.65%). Top 3 placements: 15 (5.93%); first-place placements: 6 (2.37%).

Wording about the company: 54 positive, 100 neutral, 1 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 20.6%. The net framing score was 0.34 (defined in Methodology).

123 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 46.88% were Top 3 and 18.75% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Tractor Supply's mention count fell from 335 to 155, while its recommendation count fell from 102 to 32. The recommendation rate was 20.77% and 12.65% respectively.

Tractor Supply appears in a majority of answers but is recommended in a much smaller share, giving it one of the lower recommendation-to-mention ratios among the tracked companies. Neutral wording dominates its mentions.

Its placements are mostly top-three with few first-place results. The prior month recorded higher counts and a higher recommendation rate; because the monthly answer samples differ, that comparison describes recorded results without explaining them.

Hollywood Feed

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Hollywood Feed mentions, recommendations and placement?

Hollywood Feed ranks 6 by recommendation count. Mentions: 38 (15.02%); recommendations: 21 (8.30%). Top 3 placements: 3 (1.19%); first-place placements: 0 (0.00%).

Wording about the company: 26 positive, 12 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 55.3%. The net framing score was 0.68 (defined in Methodology).

17 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 14.29% were Top 3 and 0.00% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Hollywood Feed's mention count fell from 58 to 38, while its recommendation count fell from 34 to 21. The recommendation rate was 6.92% and 8.30% respectively.

Hollywood Feed has limited reach, appearing in a modest share of answers, but its recommendation-to-mention ratio is the highest in the sample, so endorsements are frequent relative to appearances. That ratio rests on a small base and should be read with caution.

Its few recommendations were mostly top-three, with no first-place placements, and its wording was positive or neutral. The prior month recorded higher counts and a lower recommendation rate.

Petsense

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Petsense mentions, recommendations and placement?

Petsense ranks 7 by recommendation count. Mentions: 24 (9.49%); recommendations: 2 (0.79%). Top 3 placements: 1 (0.40%); first-place placements: 0 (0.00%).

Wording about the company: 6 positive, 18 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 8.3%. The net framing score was 0.25 (defined in Methodology).

22 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 50.00% were Top 3 and 0.00% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Petsense's mention count fell from 58 to 24, while its recommendation count fell from 8 to 2. The recommendation rate was 1.63% and 0.79% respectively.

Petsense has the smallest footprint in the sample, with few mentions and very few recommendations, so its recommendation-to-mention ratio rests on a sparse base and is best treated as indicative only. Neutral wording dominates its mentions.

Its single top-three placement and absence of first-place results reflect that limited base. The prior month recorded higher counts and a slightly higher recommendation rate; the differing samples do not establish why.

Earlier ranking snapshot context

Questions This Section Answers

• How do the available Pet Retail Pet Supplies snapshots from July 2026 to November 2026 differ in recommendation coverage and measurement scope?

Only months with verified results are shown. Monthly sample coverage is listed in Methodology.

The earlier snapshot is a separate selected sample with a different answer total, so counts and rates are not directly comparable across months. A lower count can accompany a higher rate, as several companies show, because the denominator changed.

Rank positions shifted for some companies between the two months, but these are recorded placements in separate samples rather than evidence of stable standing or of causes. Only verified months are shown.

What the November Rankings Show

These measures answer different questions. Reach asks how often a company appears; recommendation asks whether an answer affirmatively endorsed it; placement asks where an endorsement sat within the ordering; framing asks how the wording was classified. A company can be widely mentioned yet rarely recommended, or rarely mentioned yet frequently endorsed.

Reading the leaderboard alone would conflate these dimensions. The nested structure of placements, the overlap of companies within answers and the separate monthly samples all limit what the rankings can support. They describe the reviewed AI answers, not customers, sales or company quality.

Methodology

Questions This Section Answers

• How were the November 2026 Pet Retail Pet Supplies AI visibility measures counted, and what do they not establish?

This benchmark has partial coverage: 2 of 3 planned question categories contributed usable observations; 1 contributed none. This describes question-category coverage, not demonstrated platform outages. Findings apply to the available answer set.

The month in the title is the reporting period. The exact dates when the original AI answers were collected have not been verified.

Each company is counted at most once in each answer that meets the benchmark rules. A recommendation requires both an affirmative endorsement and positive wording. Mention, recommendation, Top 3 and first-place rates use the full benchmark answer total. Top 3 and first-place results are included within recommendations, not added to them.

The recommendation-to-mention ratio divides recommendations by mentions. It describes AI answer wording, not customer conversion. Net framing is positive minus negative mentions, divided by all mentions, on a scale from -1 to +1. It does not measure customer satisfaction or company quality.

Market: US; 7 tracked companies. AI services represented: ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity.

Research screening totals (answer observations can include repeated questions):

The source does not provide a reader-facing definition of “reserved”; that screening label is reported without inferring a reason for exclusion. Only the included benchmark answers form the rate denominator.

One answer can mention or recommend several companies. Adding company totals would therefore count some answers more than once. The results describe the AI answers reviewed, not independently verified facts about the companies or their products.

Monthly sample coverage:

July 2026 measured a different set of companies, so it is excluded from this comparison. August 2026 measured a different set of companies, so it is excluded from this comparison. September 2026 measured a different set of companies, so it is excluded from this comparison.

The answer samples differ between months. These comparisons show how the recorded results changed; they do not establish why they changed.

Coverage is partial: only some planned question categories contributed usable answers, and findings apply to that available set. The reporting month labels the period, but exact collection dates were not verified, and the screening label “reserved” is reported without an inferred reason.

Each company counts at most once per answer, and a recommendation requires both affirmative endorsement and positive wording. Rates use the full benchmark answer total, and placements are nested within recommendations. Net framing is a wording score, not customer satisfaction. Monthly samples differ, so comparisons show recorded change without establishing cause.