Newsletter
Shop
Login
Menü
If you want to be successful in the speciality pet market, you need to be different from the other players. Filling niches can be very helpful in this process but only if the fringe lines fit the programme
It is common practice for many furniture and DIY stores to supplement their range with various fringe lines. It could be a sensible move for speciality pet product retailers too to supplement their existing range with niche products. The suitability of a supplementary range depends on the individual store. Fishing tackle and accessories, for example, could be an important addition to the range of a pet retailer operating his business in a region where angling is a favourite pastime. And adding an equestrian department can be an extremely profitable move if there are many horse owners amongst the customers of a pet product retailer.
The sector water in the garden offers a good opportunity for the speciality pet retail sector to expand its product ranges in a sensible manner.
Equestrian sports: an ideal complement to the dog sector
Regardless of what pet retailers offer as a fringe line, they should have the necessary competence in this particular sector. Because most fringe segments are extremely specialised it is necessary to offer a sufficiently large basic range. A pet retailer who wants to impress horse lovers by offering a few snacks and a couple of grooming products should not be surprised if he loses his customers. Likewise, a pet retailer who knows little about horses should not add items to his range which require extensive product knowledge, such as saddles or equestrian clothing.
Books and gifts are presented in a separate department in the outlets of the UK pet store chain Pets at home.
To avoid any move into the equestrian sector turning into a fiasco, many suppliers of equestrian items offer special modular systems with a small footprint for the pet retail sector. These usually consist of a basic range of the most important equestrian products. Some companies even offer training courses for pet retailers so they can acquire a basic knowledge of the equestrian range.
The best solution for a pet store, of course, is to employ a specialist in equestrian sports who is familiar with the wishes and needs of riders and can give expert advice. But this is rarely the case. It is therefore advisable for pet retailers to enter into a new sector slowly but with careful planning, and to expand this sector step-by-step if it proves successful. They should not get impatient, however, if the business doesn’t flourish within a month of starting it or opening the equestrian department. Customers usually focus on sales points that are familiar to them, and it might take some time for word to get around that there is a new local supplier. Pet retailers should therefore be prepared to run a comprehensive advertising campaign when opening a new department. This will assist in drumming up custom and making the business known to prospective customers.
Equestrian sports as an additional segment of the pet retail sector offer the advantage that many existing customers, such as dog owners, are also enthusiastic riders. This makes it easier to enter into the equestrian sports market because there are existing contacts with the targeted customer base.
Angling: closing sales gaps during the summer
The connection between angling and other product groups is less obvious. But this range is also attractive for the pet retailer. Angling has the advantage that it is primarily a summer activity. A speciality angling department can help in closing many gaps in the budget of a pet retailer during the summer months when sales figures tend to be rather low. There are some pet retailers who achieve up to 30 per cent of their sales with fishing products during the summer months, a time when aquarium products are slow sellers. These stores are mainly businesses where the owner or an employee is an angler himself and has a good knowledge of the subject. It is very difficult to get a foothold in this highly specialised market if one has no knowledge of the sport at all. Angling assumes a variety of forms: there’s a big difference between the sort of fishing to be had in a region where the sea practically laps your doorstep and in upland areas, for example, where the fishing is primarily in lakes. There are huge differences between these various types of fishing and therefore also the tackle required. You have to bear all this in mind when choosing a product range.
Angling requisites are a high priority in the Naturama store in the French town of Hagenau.
You don’t need a lot of space to start an angling department. An area of approx. 5 m² is sufficient to assemble a basic range in a pet store. There are many suppliers in the fishing sector, too, who will put together a starter package for pet retailers on request which comprises items from nearly every product area, such as rods, reels, lines and hooks. As with the equestrian sector, it’s possible to attend training courses run by suppliers of fishing products and acquire the necessary knowledge to sell their product ranges. And a word of advice: pet retailers wishing to open an angling department in their store should familiarise themselves with the fishing customs particular to their region.
Gift products in the pet retail sector
Pet product retailers who like an attractive ambience in their stores can further improve the visual impact by adding a boutique selling gift products. The product range offered in this niche sector has increased quite remarkably. It now includes T-shirts, mugs and calendars with animal motifs, greeting cards, toys and other accessories, such as can be found in the gift sections of department stores and furniture stores. The turnover of these accessories is rather low compared to food and the more traditional pet accessories. Attractive presentation of these products, for example in a separate shop-in-shop section of the store, is therefore very important to entice customers to buy. If these conditions are met, gift ranges offer a welcome opportunity to increase the amount of time that customers linger in the store. They also highlight the competence of a pet product retailer. But it needs to be pointed out that half-hearted solutions will not lead to success. Retailers must be prepared to offer and to maintain an attractive presentation in their gift boutique for this sector to develop into an interesting additional line of business. Otherwise, it would be better just to add individual items from the gift product segment to their range and to integrate these into the respective departments.
Successful with gifts – Animalis in France.
Green-fingered pet product retailers
Garden products can also be an interesting addition to the range of a pet product retailer, although careful thought must be given to the selection of items to be offered. The lack of floor space in pet stores stops them from offering lawnmowers or other garden machinery or equipment that takes up a large display area. The presentation of such items is limited even if an outdoor area exists – and customers don’t expect to find these products in a pet store, either.
In the speciality pet retail sector equestrian products play a substantial role in the outlets of the Swiss pet product retail group My Friends.
There is also little sense in offering bulky items, such as garden furniture and soil or compost in a pet retail store. Products suitable for inclusion in the range are more likely to be those which have a connection with pets and pet keeping and complement the existing range. Water in the garden would be the most obvious sector to choose, along with cash-and-carry products like seeds and bulbs.
The motto is: if pet retailers are knowledgeable about the gardening sector and have the necessary competent staff, there is nothing against them including gardening products in their range. They need to be aware, however, that they can only offer a small range because of their limited retail area. But this only makes sense if there is no other supplier of gardening products in the local area. Otherwise, this attempt to entice new customers into the store might prove a futile effort.
The sector water in the garden offers a good opportunity for the speciality pet retail sector to expand its product ranges in a sensible manner.
Equestrian sports: an ideal complement to the dog sector
Regardless of what pet retailers offer as a fringe line, they should have the necessary competence in this particular sector. Because most fringe segments are extremely specialised it is necessary to offer a sufficiently large basic range. A pet retailer who wants to impress horse lovers by offering a few snacks and a couple of grooming products should not be surprised if he loses his customers. Likewise, a pet retailer who knows little about horses should not add items to his range which require extensive product knowledge, such as saddles or equestrian clothing.
Books and gifts are presented in a separate department in the outlets of the UK pet store chain Pets at home.
To avoid any move into the equestrian sector turning into a fiasco, many suppliers of equestrian items offer special modular systems with a small footprint for the pet retail sector. These usually consist of a basic range of the most important equestrian products. Some companies even offer training courses for pet retailers so they can acquire a basic knowledge of the equestrian range.
The best solution for a pet store, of course, is to employ a specialist in equestrian sports who is familiar with the wishes and needs of riders and can give expert advice. But this is rarely the case. It is therefore advisable for pet retailers to enter into a new sector slowly but with careful planning, and to expand this sector step-by-step if it proves successful. They should not get impatient, however, if the business doesn’t flourish within a month of starting it or opening the equestrian department. Customers usually focus on sales points that are familiar to them, and it might take some time for word to get around that there is a new local supplier. Pet retailers should therefore be prepared to run a comprehensive advertising campaign when opening a new department. This will assist in drumming up custom and making the business known to prospective customers.
Equestrian sports as an additional segment of the pet retail sector offer the advantage that many existing customers, such as dog owners, are also enthusiastic riders. This makes it easier to enter into the equestrian sports market because there are existing contacts with the targeted customer base.
Angling: closing sales gaps during the summer
The connection between angling and other product groups is less obvious. But this range is also attractive for the pet retailer. Angling has the advantage that it is primarily a summer activity. A speciality angling department can help in closing many gaps in the budget of a pet retailer during the summer months when sales figures tend to be rather low. There are some pet retailers who achieve up to 30 per cent of their sales with fishing products during the summer months, a time when aquarium products are slow sellers. These stores are mainly businesses where the owner or an employee is an angler himself and has a good knowledge of the subject. It is very difficult to get a foothold in this highly specialised market if one has no knowledge of the sport at all. Angling assumes a variety of forms: there’s a big difference between the sort of fishing to be had in a region where the sea practically laps your doorstep and in upland areas, for example, where the fishing is primarily in lakes. There are huge differences between these various types of fishing and therefore also the tackle required. You have to bear all this in mind when choosing a product range.
Angling requisites are a high priority in the Naturama store in the French town of Hagenau.
You don’t need a lot of space to start an angling department. An area of approx. 5 m² is sufficient to assemble a basic range in a pet store. There are many suppliers in the fishing sector, too, who will put together a starter package for pet retailers on request which comprises items from nearly every product area, such as rods, reels, lines and hooks. As with the equestrian sector, it’s possible to attend training courses run by suppliers of fishing products and acquire the necessary knowledge to sell their product ranges. And a word of advice: pet retailers wishing to open an angling department in their store should familiarise themselves with the fishing customs particular to their region.
Gift products in the pet retail sector
Pet product retailers who like an attractive ambience in their stores can further improve the visual impact by adding a boutique selling gift products. The product range offered in this niche sector has increased quite remarkably. It now includes T-shirts, mugs and calendars with animal motifs, greeting cards, toys and other accessories, such as can be found in the gift sections of department stores and furniture stores. The turnover of these accessories is rather low compared to food and the more traditional pet accessories. Attractive presentation of these products, for example in a separate shop-in-shop section of the store, is therefore very important to entice customers to buy. If these conditions are met, gift ranges offer a welcome opportunity to increase the amount of time that customers linger in the store. They also highlight the competence of a pet product retailer. But it needs to be pointed out that half-hearted solutions will not lead to success. Retailers must be prepared to offer and to maintain an attractive presentation in their gift boutique for this sector to develop into an interesting additional line of business. Otherwise, it would be better just to add individual items from the gift product segment to their range and to integrate these into the respective departments.
Successful with gifts – Animalis in France.
Green-fingered pet product retailers
Garden products can also be an interesting addition to the range of a pet product retailer, although careful thought must be given to the selection of items to be offered. The lack of floor space in pet stores stops them from offering lawnmowers or other garden machinery or equipment that takes up a large display area. The presentation of such items is limited even if an outdoor area exists – and customers don’t expect to find these products in a pet store, either.
In the speciality pet retail sector equestrian products play a substantial role in the outlets of the Swiss pet product retail group My Friends.
There is also little sense in offering bulky items, such as garden furniture and soil or compost in a pet retail store. Products suitable for inclusion in the range are more likely to be those which have a connection with pets and pet keeping and complement the existing range. Water in the garden would be the most obvious sector to choose, along with cash-and-carry products like seeds and bulbs.
The motto is: if pet retailers are knowledgeable about the gardening sector and have the necessary competent staff, there is nothing against them including gardening products in their range. They need to be aware, however, that they can only offer a small range because of their limited retail area. But this only makes sense if there is no other supplier of gardening products in the local area. Otherwise, this attempt to entice new customers into the store might prove a futile effort.
Print - digital - online
