New ideas for the pet sector

Two thirds of consumers still regard stationary retail as important, was the message delivered by trend analyst Nicole Srock.Stanley at the Pet Conference. Michael Fuchs of the Konzept & Markt market research company presented similar figures for the German pet supplies sector, revealing that only 3 per cent of shoppers for pet products buy exclusively online. 
Stationary retail continues to play an important role, therefore - the conference participants agreed on this. But how do high street retailers succeed in setting themselves apart from the seemingly all-powerful online trade? Presentations and discussions at the Pet Conference, an event staged over one-and-a-half days and organised jointly by the pet trade magazine and Management Forum of the Verlagsgruppe Handelsblatt, returned repeatedly to this question. What was evident was that any specific strategy for action should be preceded by focusing on what a specialist retail company actually wants to achieve. 

As corporate consultant Prof. Dr Guido Quelle pointed out in his relaxed and informative presentation on sustainable growth, too many initiatives on innovation are decreed from above, but too little is communicated about these in the company as a whole and so they are only implemented half-heartedly or not at all. This results in well-meaning attempts at innovation coming to nothing.
Things are evidently done differently at speciality chain Kölle Zoo, which has focused on creating destination stores. According to managing partner Matthias Pohl, the company conducted an in-depth discussion two or three years ago on how it wanted to position itself in the future vis-à-vis the growing phenomenon of Internet shopping. "We agreed that we should concentrate immediately on the basics and aim to do the things we do well even better in the future." A specific plan of action was drawn up. "We realised that we had to evolve from our previous situation of being oriented towards purchasing to a stronger customer orientation." With a new barf shop the company managed to present the canine segment as a shopping experience too. The approach to marine aquariums was refined so that this hobby, which fascinates many people, would acquire mass appeal in the future. A number of small steps have since been taken, several changes have been made and Kölle Zoo has increased its sales so far this year by over 6 per cent.

Another enthusiast for turning pets into an experience is Heike…