If you have a brick-and-mortar pet store that’s not generating as much business as you had expected, perhaps it’s time to rethink your marketing strategy—which in no way means devising a fashionable but complex marketing plan. It simply means making some minor yet important alterations to the way you have publicized and positioned your pet store so far.
Here are 3 time-tested ways along with actionable tips to bring more pet owners and pet lovers to visit your store.
Establish a distinct identity
With online shopping invading each and every sphere of our lives, pet supplies can be easily and conveniently sourced from online stores. It saves busy pet owners the hassle of going to a store and ticks off one important task from the weekend to-do list.
Online stores are here to stay. However, you must not lose sight of the fact that a physical shop offers real-time experience, which a web store can never replicate. Your pet store is not just a shop selling pet supplies—it is a place where people with common interest come to purchase food and other essentials for their furry friends, and often bring them along.
Here are some ways to build a unique identity for your pet store.
- Through ambience, staff behavior and overall presentation, build an image of your store that leaves a lasting impression on anyone who visits or passes by.
- Train your staff in the basics of pet care, including which foods work best for which pets, the nutritional profile of foods you are selling, etc.
- Build a USP—what does your store offer that other shops in the area don’t? For instance, stock high-quality natural foods and inform your customers about it through banners, window display, emails and, not-to-forget, social media (which we come to later in this blog post).
- Place informative posters at strategic points inside and outside the store. Let passers-by know that yours is a store that sells only top-quality pet products, caters to a range of different pets, and also has affordable options for price-conscious pet owners.
- Post the same information on your Facebook, twitter and Instagram handles.
- Train and motivate your staff to evolve into customer experience experts who can politely and efficiently handle queries and offer a feel-good experience to anyone who enters your store.
- Create refer-a-friend discounts and rewards.
Offer experience and not just products
Experience is still an important part of shopping and you can enhance the experience of your customers by doing simple yet thoughtful things, as listed below.
- If possible, add a pet-friendly café or reading nook to your store, giving pet lovers and your frequent customers a place to hang out with their pet and with other pet parents. If executed well, this also means additional revenue for your business.
- Offer pet treats and/or complementary coffee for first-time visitors to the café.
- Create a reward points system based on café purchases, where the points can be used to buy items from your shop.
- Invite like-minded pet parents for get-togethers and pet parties.
- Offer complimentary or discounted services to loyal customers.
- Tie up with a vet and organize discounted consultations in your store once a while.
- Offer home delivery if possible, especially if a regular customer is sick or travelling and needs supplies delivered to their doorstep.
- Send a ‘speedy recovery’ message for a pet that has been sick or has had surgery.
Create a memorable experience for pet owners that would make them want to visit your pet store again. The idea is to convert a boring chore into a joyful outing for both pets and their parents.
Get internet savvy
Yes, you use email and you have a Facebook business page, but how frequent and how interesting are your emails and social media posts?
Merely being present online is not enough to build a successful offline business. You need to be out there engaging your present and potential customers through informative and fun content that offers them what pet memes don’t. Share pet-care tips and tricks; offer vet-verified advice on how to handle common ailments and flea and tick infestation; make announcements of new products and discount sales; answer queries—the list is endless. Use social media effectively and you’re sure to see greater footfall in your store.
Need more practical advice on how to make your pet store succeed? Here are 6 Tips That Will Help You Set Up And Run A Pet Store Successfully and establish you as a credible pet supplies vendor.
