We’re
big on pets; in fact assortment in our two households alone could form a small
petting zoo. Between us, we’ve adopted three dogs (that's Sid, Georganne's chihuahua, and frequent office visitor) three cats, a couple of
fish, a horse, and several rats. And except for the horse that lives at a
riding center, each of our four-legged friends eats and sleeps indoors in one
of our respective homes. Even the rats, the subject of an 8th grade science
project, are an important part of the family. Don’t laugh, rats make excellent
pets, we even had one that came when we called him. He’d play catch when you
tossed him a rat-sized ball, and even enjoyed watching TV George’s kids.
We’re
not unique; lots of people consider their pets as much a part of the family as
the humans in the household. Today, dogs and cats spend their days at expensive
pet day care centers, so they won’t be lonely while mommy and daddy are at
work. These people would never consider leaving Spot at a kennel when they
travel when he’d be far more comfortable at one of those five star pet palaces
that are popping up all over the country. You might have to choose Motel 6 so
your cat can stay at a luxury pet spa, but you’ll sleep better knowing she’s in
good hands.
Some
people openly refer to their pets as “the kids”. So is it any wonder that a
recent study revealed that the average woman spends more time choosing holiday
gift for her pet than for her husband? All
of this fuss over pets may come as a surprise to you but it’s business as usual
to retailers like Petco and Pet Smart; big box stores that cater to those of us
who cater to family members with fins, fur and feathers. When we were kids pet
stores were smelly, dark, and dirty. Not anymore, these spotless showplaces
that are merchandised to perfection. And to encourage impulse sales.
In
our travels we’ve met many retailers whose pets have become just another member
of the store team. Instead of aprons, some even wear bandannas and their own
name tags. We’ve met several retailers whose dogs “write” the store’s blog,
Facebook posts and e-mail blasts. We know that for each pet event we share in a
seminar, we’ll hear from at least two more retailers who have pet events of
their own to tell about. Here are few of our favorites:
Santa
Paws Day: Santa Claus visits lots of stores at Christmas time, but Randy Husk,
owner of the Ace Hardware Store in Rock Springs, Wyoming wanted to do something
a little bit different, so he came up with “Santa Paws Day”.
On
Santa Paws Day, instead of their kids, customers to bring their pets to the
store for a visit with Santa. $5.00 buys them a photo of their pet sitting on
Santa’s lap. Randy donates one dollar out of the five to a local animal
shelter.
It’s
quite a sight to see! Dogs and cats and customers patiently waiting their turn
to visit Santa but that’s not all. As the big guy in the red suit, Randy’s held
many a creature: dogs, cats, fish, mice, ferrets, lizards, rats, rabbits,
snakes – you name it, but he had to set up some ground rules the year a
customer brought in a 350 pound Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, and tried to hoist
it onto Randy’s lap!
The
Pet Psychic: We met Polly McFadden, owner of The Stamp Act in El Paso, Texas,
at one of CHA’s $1.99-an-Idea Luncheons. Polly had heard customers discussing
Animal Planet’s TV show The Pet Psychic. You’ve no doubt seen this show; it
features Sonja Fitzpatrick, a psychic whose telepathic abilities enable her to
communicate with animals. Polly’s customers’ enthusiasm over this program
inspired her to come up with an animal communication event if her own.
Polly’s
event was hosted by her dog, Chloe. In addition to the pet psychic, Chloe also
had a palm reader on hand to entertain her human guests. Customers paid $15.00
each for a visit with the pet psychic, $5 of which went to a local animal
shelter. The day of the event, both man and beast were lined up outside the
store even before it opened. Once inside, they wound in and around the aisles.
Polly’s traffic-building event quickly became a sales-building event as
customers’ redeemed the coupons they were given to buy supplies to commemorate
the day they found out what Fido was really thinking.
Bring
Bubba a Bone: A Wisconsin garden center retailer named Bob told us he was bored
with the usual events he ran each year in his nursery and gift shop. He wanted
to shake things up in the store and create a buzz about town. One day while
sitting at his desk, struggling to come up with a fresh idea, he happened to
look down at his dog, Bubba, who was fast asleep at his feet. That’s when it
hit him: customers come to the store just to visit Bubba, so why not give him
an event of his own?
“Bring
Bubba a Bone” was genius in its simplicity. Customers’ who brought Bubba a bone
on the day of the sale received special discounts that varied from department
to department. Bob seriously under-estimated Bubba’s celebrity; he thought the
dog would get a handful of bones, and he’d have a few laughs with customers.
Wrong. Bubba received 427 bones that day, and the event was a huge success. Bob
was so pleased with the turn out, that he’s seriously considering renaming next
year’s event “Bring Bob a Beer”!
You
can host pet events in your store, even if you do not specifically sell pet
supplies. Why not tap into this potential new customer market this summer? Pet
events are low cost and easy to put together – use bag stuffers, e-mail blasts
and in-store signing to advertise your event. Take advantage of "World of
Mouth" on Facebook, Twitter, and other social medias. Send out press releases to alert the
media. It’s a proven fact that pet owners spend piles of money each year on
their furry friends – why shouldn’t they spend some of that money in your
store?
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