An important tool to secure customer loyalty

In many European countries, competition in the pet product trade has increased significantly in recent years. It is thus all the more important for a company to develop a strategy that will tie both new and existing customers more closely to it in the future.A name worth knowing in the UK pet product trade: shopfitters John Allan.Corporate consultants speak of "corporate behaviour", meaning that the image of a pet product dealer is regarded as an integrated whole. It makes little sense, for example, to be selling exclusive products if the store ambience has all the charm of a dirty and cluttered warehouse. What is important is that the appearance of a pet store is coordinated to the goods it is selling. From the sign above the door to the way the store is laid out inside, everything should make a clean and neat impression."Corporate behaviour" also includes giving customers friendly and competent advice. Services such as delivery, aquarium installation, water tests etc. play an important role here. And last but not least, an attractive store layout is an established element of any promising corporate concept.Müller & Pfleger's flagship store: the "Herkules" store in Vellmar/Germany.Far too expensive for my business, some retailers will now protest -- and not entirely without justification, as display housing for selling pets doesn't come cheap. Yet many pet store proprietors find that sales increase considerably after procuring new fittings. If a store interior never changes, there is little incentive even for regular customers to visit the shop more than is absolutely necessary. On the other hand, varying the appearance of the retail area and exciting ideas at the point of sale make a substantial contribution to a store's appeal. The opportunities for emphasizing features in the store are especially great with regard to the presentation of live animals, both for small and large retail areas. Sales-enhancing rodent housing, individually designed aviaries and attractively arranged aquariums act like a magnet for customers. A pet dealer also lives up to his ethical responsibilities for keeping the animals in the store in the conditions most appropriate to them if his display housing is well cared-for and generously proportioned.One of Europe's leading shopfitting companies: Juwel Ladenbau. In the picture: the "Botanic" store in Villechetif.Most shopfitting companies now offer their clients an integrated layout, with fittings planned down to the last…