SUPERZOO 2026 drew stronger buyers and debuted new market intelligence

SUPERZOO 2026 brought pet retail buyers, suppliers and emerging brands to Las Vegas Aug. 12–14, with attendance steady year over year and a stronger share of attendees reporting purchasing power. The show also unveiled petLENS, a new market intelligence platform, alongside more than 2,000 new products, expanded education and a record-scale exhibit floor.

Why it matters: - SUPERZOO is a key buying event for pet retail, and the 2026 show drew an audience with stronger purchasing authority. - More than eight in 10 attendees who reported purchasing authority said they had buying power, giving exhibitors a higher-value buyer mix. - The show paired product discovery with a new intelligence tool, petLENS, aimed at helping retailers and brands make better stocking and spending decisions.

What happened: - World Pet Association hosted SUPERZOO 2026 Aug. 12–14 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, with education starting Aug. 11. - Overall participation among pet professionals held steady year over year. - The event delivered the second-highest exhibitor count in SUPERZOO history and one of the largest exhibit footprints on record. - More than 2,000 new products appeared across the show floor. - Registrations came from 70 countries, and one in eight participants came from outside the U.S.

The details: - More than 1,200 exhibitors showed products across connected care, wellness, sustainability, enrichment, nutrition, lifestyle and other pet retail categories. - More than 350 exhibitors were new to SUPERZOO this year. - Over 100 booths in the Emerging Brands area gave newer companies a dedicated place to meet retailers. - The New Product Showcase featured more than 1,000 products and highlighted products in smart technology and AI, wellness, functional nutrition, sustainability, enrichment, training, safety and mobility. - SUPERZOO named 24 New Product Showcase winners, including Talktail AI Pet Health Monitoring Collar by Talktail, which won the Overall Judges Award. - Giddy Kitty won first place in the Launch Pitch Competition by Purina Pet Care Innovation Network. - Raw Dawg won BPBN’s Next Wave Pitch Competition. - More than 100 education sessions covered workforce, digital strategy, customer experience, merchandising and growth. - Additional programming included Women in Petfood Leadership and accredited continuing education with US Vet Shows. - New grooming formats included the Groomer’s Skill Lab and Groomer’s Innovation Stage, both centered on live demonstrations and practical instruction. - SUPERZOO marked the public debut of petLENS, WPA’s market intelligence platform developed with BSM Partners. - petLENS is built on research tracking more than 75,000 pet owners. - petLENS Pulse will launch in September with monthly consumer sentiment and spending insights. - petLENS Spotlight will provide quarterly analysis of product categories and trends.

Between the lines: - The stronger buyer mix suggests SUPERZOO is increasingly serving as a deal-making event, not just a showcase. - The emphasis on emerging brands, pitch competitions and skills-based grooming points to a broader strategy: draw both established retailers and the next wave of pet retail companies. - petLENS signals that WPA wants to extend SUPERZOO’s influence beyond the show dates by giving the industry recurring market data.

What's next: - SUPERZOO returns to Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas Aug. 11–13, 2027, with education Aug. 10–11. - petLENS Pulse launches in September, followed by ongoing monthly insights and quarterly category reports. - For updates and registration details, visit SUPERZOO.org and follow SUPERZOO on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok.

The bottom line: - SUPERZOO 2026 combined stronger buyer quality, a large product pipeline and a new data platform, underscoring its role as a central business event for pet retail.