4 Tips for Boosting Customer Engagement and Drawing Customers to Your Pet Store

Keeping customers interested and engaged boosts sales and gives them plenty of reasons to keep coming back.

If you own or manage a pet supplies store, you’re competing not only with other pet stores in your city but also an abundance of online retailers such as Chewy, Amazon and other pet supplies sources. With so many competitors enticing pet owners, one of your best tools for gaining new customers and building loyalty among current customers is customer engagement.

“Fully engaged customers represent a 23 percent premium in share of wallet, profitability, revenue and relationship growth over the average customer, according to Gallup, an analytics, consulting and advice firm.

In fact, when many of Gallup’s business clients increased their customer engagement, they experienced the following customer success metrics:

• Higher sales growth: 66 percent
• Increase in customer loyalty: 25 percent
• Percentile point increase in customer confidence: +20
• Increase in net profit: 10 percent

Customer engagement with your pet store builds trust that keeps customers coming back rather than shopping online for their pet supplies.

“Connecting with shoppers and providing them with a positive interaction is a great way to engage customers and encourage loyalty, according to pet business insurance provider Pet Professional.

“When people become invested in your business they will shop there more often, tell their friends about their positive experience and increase the longevity of your pet business.”

Ready to boost customer engagement at your pet supplies store?

Check out these four tips for increasing customer engagement to draw customers and build brand loyalty.

1. Host in-store events

“Remind people of the benefits of shopping in store by hosting an expert seminar or a doggy fashion show with exclusive discounts as a further incentive to entice people in store,” suggests Pet Professional.

Over customer-drawing events include rescue pet adoption events, vaccination events and animal education and petting events that draw families to your store.

2. Stay active on social media

Post daily educational and entertaining content and videos along with pet tips, promotions and event announcements on your pet store’s Facebook page, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms.

“Post regularly but only if you have something useful to say or interesting to show,” recommends Pet Professional. “Promote exclusive discounts, new products and in-store events. If possible, use ads, for example Facebook ads, to target people based on their geographical location.”

3. Offer pet-related services

Offering pet services such as grooming, dog walking and/or boarding, a vet clinic or pet wash stations stocked with shampoos, conditioners and grooming tools. These amenities are a great way to bring in new customers and build loyalty as your customers realize that shopping at a brick-and-mortar pet supplies store has many benefits they won’t find when shopping online.

4. Partner with local pet businesses

“Team up with a local vet to run an in-store Q&A session,” suggests Pet Professional.  “This way you tap into their audience while sharing your customers with them. Offering a free information session is also a great way to give value to your customers.”

Bring in dog day care and boarding business owners or staff to hand out coupons, brochures and business cards to your pet store customers. Host events where dog day care centers talk about their facility and services.