The key to building customer loyalty is trust.
For a customer to make frequent visits to your pet store, they need to trust that they’ll have a great experience each time. In the pet industry, this means your store needs to offer high-quality pet products and expert services, in addition to reliable customer service.
To successfully run a pet store, you need to know how to build trust with customers. In this blog, we’ll explore eight strategies to help you build trust as a business owner — from the way you communicate to the products you stock.
Honesty is everything when it comes to trust. Be transparent about your business’ products, prices, and policies. Customers need to know exactly what they’re buying, how much it costs, and if they can return an item if it isn’t a good fit. Communicate this information with signage in your pet store and answer questions as you interact with customers.
If you fail to communicate important information and customers discover it on their own — like hidden fees or a lack of a return policy — you’ll lose their trust. Communicating your policies clearly results in fewer customer complaints and greater customer loyalty.
You can best serve pets and their owners if you have a deep knowledge of pet products and services. So, to build authority and trust in the pet industry, you need to become an expert.
Many pet store owners are long-time pet owners themselves, and gain significant knowledge from years of taking care of their own pets. Expand your knowledge with research, take online courses, and learn from other pet owners.
In addition to general pet knowledge, it’s important to understand the specific needs and preferences of local pets and their owners. You can learn about local pets through surveys and direct conversations. Collect data and determine what the most important products and services are for pet owners in your area — demonstrating expertise helps you position your store as a trusted resource for pet owners.
When a customer has a great customer service experience, they’ll be more likely to return to your pet store. Great customer service is especially important when issues arise — you may not be able to immediately solve a customer’s issue, but doing the best you can to solve problems helps you build trust.
Remember to train your staff to assist customers with complicated issues, too. Empower them to make decisions so you don’t have to be involved with every issue.
Customers need to feel that you were transparent with them and provided the good or service you promised you would. For example, if you’re selling online and there’s a shipping issue, give the customer updates on their item as often as you can. If the item can’t be shipped or goes on back order, apologize and refund the customer’s payment.
Let’s say a customer wants to return an accessory that wasn’t right for their pet — like a collar, for example. If the item is still in working condition, it’s best practice to allow them to return it for a refund or swap it for a different one of equal or lesser value. Following these practices gives your customers a positive impression of your business, which leads them to return and speak well of your business to others.
Related Read: 6 Customer Service Training Topics To Cover in Your Pet Store
One of the most important things you can do to build trust with customers is to consistently provide high-quality products and services. That’s why customers walk through the door, and that’s what keeps them coming back. As you choose which products to stock at your pet store, do your research to find healthy pet food with quality ingredients, durable pet toys, and functional pet accessories.
This also extends to pet services. If you choose to offer grooming and training services at your pet store, hire qualified and experienced personnel to manage these operations. These staff members should be certified and trained in these skills. When customers can see clear results, they’ll know they can rely on the quality of these services.
Related Read: [ANSWERED] What’s the Average Inventory Cost of Pet Supplies?
A sense of community gives customers another reason to choose your pet store. People tend to feel good about supporting small businesses as opposed to large corporations because they feel they’re doing good for the community. When customers get to know each other, they’re more likely to develop loyalty to your business.
One of the best ways to create a sense of community is to host events at your pet store.
Here are a few ideas for events you can host:
These events allow your customers to meet each other and contribute to a sense of community. You can also create community through social media channels. Determine which channels make the most sense for your audience and post content about products, services, and your pet store. You can use these channels to post important store updates, showcase new products, and invite customers to in-store events.
As customers get to know you and each other and spend more time in your pet store, you’ll gain more trust.
The endorsement of licensed pet health professionals helps you ensure your pet store’s products and services are safe for pets. For example, consulting with a health professional can help you make sure the pet food you supply has the proper nutrients.
To further collaborate with pet health professionals, you can feature them on your social media channels. Short videos with these professionals offering pet care tips can help you build trust while also promoting their services — this is a win-win for everyone.
Related Read: How To Leverage Social Media for Pet Stores: 7 Tips
Online reviews are crucial for generating interest in your business — many potential customers check reviews online before they ever visit your pet store. Positive online reviews carry weight and help you build trust, so remember to encourage satisfied customers to leave feedback and reviews.
Ask for online reviews in your store, and online if you have an e-commerce website. Post a QR code at the register for customers to scan to leave reviews and send online customers an email with a link to leave feedback.
Even great businesses occasionally receive negative reviews. Address complaints promptly and professionally — if a customer has a specific issue with your products or services, do your best to resolve it.
Loyalty programs incentivize repeat purchases. Most loyalty programs operate on a point system — a customer makes a purchase, accrues points, and then redeems those points for a reward. This is usually a discount or free product — like 25% off their next purchase or a free bag of dog food. If your loyalty system is easy to use and yields significant rewards, you’ll build trust among your customers. Customers will look forward to their next reward and choose your pet store over a competitor.
Related Read: A Guide to Loyalty Rewards for Pet Stores
Learning how to build trust with customers takes time, but you can start by operating with integrity. Be honest and clear with customers about what your business does and doesn’t offer. Your business also needs expertise in the pet industry. Work to personally develop expertise and hire staff members with knowledge of the pet industry. Put in the effort to expand your knowledge and train your staff so you can provide the best service to each customer.
Building trust is a continuous process, and depending on your customers, some of these strategies will be more effective than others. Experiment with different strategies to see what resonates with your customers and generates recurring business. As you build trust with more and more customers, you’ll see increased sales.
To manage all of these operations, you need a point of sale (POS) system. eTailPet is an all-in-one POS platform designed specifically for pet stores. With features for payment processing, inventory management, e-commerce, and more, eTailPet lightens the load of running your business. Contact us today to schedule a demo!