Hosting memorable events at your pet store builds customer loyalty.
As online pet retailers become more prominent, in-store pet events remind customers about the value of shopping for pet products in person. They allow customers to get to know you, your staff, and other pet owners, which creates a sense of community around your store. When you host pet store events, you also give attendees a closer look at the products and services you offer, leading to increased sales.
Hosting great pet events develops momentum for your pet store and multiplies its success, but these events take planning, strategy, and effort. In this blog, we discuss seven tips to help you host pet store events that engage your customers and boost revenue.
Let’s dive in.
Rule number one is to plan events your customers want to attend. As obvious as this sounds, it requires an understanding of your audience. The kinds of events that are most effective for your local customers depend on a variety of factors, including what kinds of pets they have, their budget, and regional preferences.
Here are a few pet store events you can host:
Try hosting a pet store event that raises money for a pet-related charity. The funds you raise can go to animal shelters, pet-related medical research, or other causes that benefit pets. Look for a cause you can support in your area. Customers are more likely to support these efforts if they know the funds go to help local pets.
As you plan events, consider how relevant they are to your audience. How many of your customers own dogs compared to cats or another kind of pet? Do your customers want to groom their pet themselves, or pay to have someone else do it? These considerations help gauge their interest, so you can plan the most successful events possible.
Related Read: 9 Exciting Pet Store Event Ideas To Draw Customers
Because hosting events requires a lot of planning and effort for you and your employees, you need to have a clear objective from the start. One event can have multiple objectives. Let’s say you’re hosting a pet nutrition workshop. Your objectives might be to educate your customers and to sell pet food and supplements you carry at your store.
If you offer pet training services as a part of your business model, and you’re hosting a free pet training session, your objective may be to persuade your customers to sign up for your training services. The goal of an event like a pet show is to bring customers into your pet store, where they can meet other pet owners and check out your products.
As you plan events, think of the areas where your business is lacking. If a certain category of products or services are seeing slumping sales, you can design an event to increase awareness of these items among your customers. By having a clear objective from the beginning, you can avoid wasted effort and bring your business closer to its goals.
To host a successful event, you need to get the word out. You can start with printed ads in and around your pet store, but to extend the reach of your marketing efforts, try digital communication. Send out emails and text messages, and use social media to spread the details of the event.
Be creative as you promote your event. Rather than simply stating what’s happening and when, post images and clips of pets to create interest and excitement. During the activity, take photos and videos that you can use to promote a similar event in the future.
Related Read: 10 Pet Store Advertising Ideas To Try Today
Working with external organizations and individuals is a great way to promote your event (and your pet store) to a new audience. Find collaborators in the pet industry who you can naturally feature in events. These can include local veterinarians, dog trainers, or pet influencers.
You can collaborate with these individuals in social media content posted to both your channel and theirs. This introduces your audience to their services and vice versa. By inviting the two audiences to the event, you increase awareness for everyone involved.
Events are more successful if they include interactive elements. Instead of having customers sit and watch a presentation, for example, encourage them to bring their pets and have an engaging discussion.
If you have a dog trainer leading a workshop, prompt owners to practice training techniques with their pets during the presentation. The trainer can walk around the room to interact with pets and owners and give them pointers, too.
You can also host a dog show and invite customers to demonstrate their pets’ tricks and talents. Events like these promote participation and keep customers — and pets — engaged. When customers have memorable experiences, they’re more likely to come back for more.
Related Read: Customer Experience in Retail: 6 Pet Store Best Practices
More planning goes into a pet store event than attendees may realize. Depending on the type of event, consider how to set up the venue, how to register participants, and how many staff members are needed. Make sure each team member knows what their role is, and be ready to handle any other logistical question that comes up.
It’s important to plan for each of these considerations in advance, so you aren’t scrambling to do everything just before or during the event. The more prepared you are, the more successful your event can be.
There are a few different ways to measure the success of your events. One is attendance — the more who show up, the better. You can also track sales made during and after an event as opposed to a typical sales period. Both are important metrics, but another way to determine the success of your events is to ask for feedback from those who attended.
Try requesting feedback for events over text or email. Customers are more likely to give honest responses remotely than if you ask them in person. Read customer feedback and identify common themes. Not all feedback is equally valid, but if you receive the same recommendations often, think about implementing it to better serve your customers.
Related Read: Pet Store Customer Loyalty 101: The What, Why, and How
Hosting great events at your pet store increases awareness and interest for your business. By following these guidelines, you can host events that draw an audience and make sales.
Remember these tips as you host pet store events:
To organize great events, you need the right tools. Modern point of sale (POS) systems are equipped with features to help you manage events and run the rest of your business. But to get the most out of POS software, you need a system designed specifically for the pet industry.
eTailPet is an all-in-one POS solution created just for pet stores. With both general and pet-specific features, you can communicate with customers, increase sales, schedule services, and request feedback — allowing you to manage all aspects of your events from one spot. eTailPet also integrates with Astro Loyalty, so you can keep your customers coming back again and again.
To see what eTailPet can do for your business, schedule a demo today!