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Pet store roundup donations are one of the easiest ways to support animal charities — and they work. At checkout, customers can choose to round up their total to the nearest dollar, which donates the spare change to a cause that matters. It’s fast, low-pressure, and adds up quickly. In one year, Americans gave nearly $750 million through roundup programs. Between 2012 and 2022, donations through point of sale (POS) roundup features more than doubled.
For pet retailers, this is a simple way to make an impact. Customers feel good about contributing to animal welfare, stores strengthen their community connections, and charities gain reliable support. In this blog, we’ll break down the key benefits of offering pet store roundup donations — and how to implement them with the right POS software.
Let’s dive in.
4 Benefits of Pet Store Roundup Donations
With tipping prompts showing up everywhere, it’s fair to wonder if customers are burned out on being asked for more at checkout. But when it comes to giving, Americans still show up. Between 2009 and 2018, the U.S. ranked as the most generous country in the world — and by 2024, it remained in the top 10. Combine this generosity with a nationwide love for pets, and you have a natural fit for pet store roundup donations.
Asking customers to round up their total to support animal charities is easy, effective, and widely appreciated. Here’s why it works — and how your store can benefit from offering it.
1. Drive Customer Engagement With Minimal Effort
When customers are asked to donate a dollar or more, participation drops. But when the ask is just a few cents — automatically rounded up at checkout — most agree without hesitation. This small difference significantly increases how many people say yes.
Take a $52.67 bag of premium dog food, for example. Rounding up to $53 means a $0.33 donation. It’s quick, easy, and doesn’t require any back-and-forth at the register. The donation prompt appears on the screen, so customers can contribute or pass without being put on the spot.
Unlike tipping, which can feel awkward or obligatory with a staff member watching, roundup donations are casual and guilt-free. Maybe a customer has a higher-than-expected vet bill or an expensive utility payment this week. If they press “no,” they don’t walk away feeling judged — just appreciated for shopping with you.
It’s one of the easiest ways to let customers feel good about their purchase, support a cause they care about, and get out the door without added friction.
2. Enhance Community Impact and Brand Image
Roundup donations give you full control over where the money goes. You can choose a well-known national organization like PetSmart, the ASPCA, the American Kennel Club (AKC) — or keep it local. This can mean partnering with a nearby veterinary clinic to offer free spay and neuter services for low-income pet owners, or helping fund urgent medical treatment for pets in your own neighborhood.
When customers recognize the cause, they’re more likely to contribute. A jar labeled “Help Max Get His Surgery” or a digital prompt supporting a local rescue resonates more than a vague national campaign. People want their donations to feel personal and visible — and pet stores are in a unique position to make this happen.
You can rotate causes throughout the year too. One quarter can support dogs undergoing cancer treatment, the next might help stock a pet food pantry. It’s a chance to respond to real needs as they come up and show customers that your store is tuned in to what’s happening around them.
Shoppers are already skeptical about where their tax dollars and donations end up. When they see your store contributing to causes that are close to home — or close to their hearts — it creates a deeper level of trust. You’re supporting the same community that keeps your doors open.
Related Read: 10 Best Animal Charities for Your Pet Store To Partner With
3. Differentiate Your Pet Store and Strengthen Customer Loyalty
Roundup donations create a lasting impression by aligning your pet store with the causes that matter most to your customers. While big-box retailers and online giants focus on price and convenience, your store can offer something more meaningful: a chance to make a difference in the local community with every purchase.
By integrating roundup donations, you show customers that shopping with you means supporting real change — whether that’s funding life-saving medical care for pets in need or contributing to a local rescue group. This sense of purpose builds stronger emotional connections with your customers, which turns casual shoppers into loyal supporters.
Customers who feel aligned with your store’s mission are more likely to come back, not because you’re offering the lowest price, but because they share your values and appreciate your commitment to the community. Rather than pushing for more sales, the focus is on fostering relationships that last beyond a transaction.
Related Read: Pet Store Customer Loyalty 101: The What, Why, and How
4. Optimize Your Workflow and Increase Efficiency
Implementing roundup donations is one of the simplest ways to improve your pet store’s workflow. With the right POS system in place, the process directly integrates into both in-store and online transactions, requiring minimal effort from your staff. The donation prompt automatically appears at checkout, which allows customers to round up their total with one quick click.
For store owners, there’s no complicated tracking or manual processing. Donations are automatically recorded and separated from regular sales, so reporting is straightforward and efficient. With the system doing all the heavy lifting, your staff is free to focus on customer service and store management.
By automating the donation process, you reduce administrative tasks. This allows you to offer your customers an easy, guilt-free way to contribute to causes they care about, without adding extra steps to your daily operations.
Setting up roundup donations is stress-free and doesn’t need to introduce extra complexity to your day-to-day tasks. With the right tools, the process can be fully automated and seamlessly integrated into your checkout experience.
If you’re ready to offer roundup donations and make a positive impact in your community, it’s time to explore the POS system that makes it all possible.
Offer Pet Store Roundup Donations With eTailPet
With eTailPet, an all-in-one POS system that’s designed specifically for pet stores, offering roundup donations is simple to implement and manage.
eTailPet’s roundup donation feature automatically rounds up transactions to the nearest dollar and donates the difference to the selected cause. You have full control over what the donations support — whether that’s a local rescue, a national organization, or any charity close to your heart. You can also customize donation prompts, logos, and messaging to align with your pet store’s values and the causes you support.
Plus, eTailPet allows you to set up fixed donation amounts or a percentage of the transaction total. You can also accept multiple payment methods, giving your customers flexibility while keeping checkout smooth. These features are integrated into your checkout flow and can be enabled or disabled at any time, ensuring flexibility based on your store’s needs.
Ready to make it easier for your customers to give back? Schedule a free demo today to see how eTailPet can help your store seamlessly offer roundup donations.