How To Grow Your Dog Grooming Business: 9 Marketing Tips

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Running a pet store is no walk in the park. You’re juggling inventory, training staff, restocking shelves, and keeping customers happy. Add dog grooming into the mix, and it can feel like there are never enough hours in the day.

So, how do you keep your grooming schedule full while still managing the shop?

Grooming can be one of the most reliable and profitable parts of your business — as long as you know how to promote it. Unlike retail, which can be seasonal or unpredictable, grooming is steady. Dogs always need their nails trimmed, their coats cleaned, and their fur styled.

And once you land a grooming client, they’re likely to return again and again. That’s why you should invest in learning how to grow your dog grooming business.

Here are some practical ways to bring new grooming clients to your pet store and keep them coming back for more.

Let’s dive in.

How To Grow Your Dog Grooming Business: 9 Tips

1. Hook Owners Early With New Pet Promotions

Bringing home a new puppy can be overwhelming. Between shots, training, and picking up supplies, new pet owners want to find someone they can trust to help. That’s where you come in.

A new pet promotion can be the perfect introduction. For example:

Offer 25% off a first groom, plus a complimentary nail trim.
Put together a welcome kit with a grooming coupon, a sample shampoo, and a small retail discount for first-time shoppers.
Team up with a local shelter so every adoption packet includes your grooming offer.

The goal is to make that first visit easy and appealing. Help pet parents when they’re feeling overwhelmed, and they’ll be back.

2. Upsell Packages Without Being Pushy

Upselling sometimes gets a bad reputation, but in grooming, it’s about educating pet parents on what their dog might need. Bundling services or creating seasonal packages is a smart way to increase your average ticket while providing real value.

Think about what pet owners worry about — shedding in spring, fleas in summer, and dry skin in winter. You can build packages around those concerns. For example:

Offer a spa upgrade that adds deshedding treatment, a blueberry facial, and a scented spritz.
Promote a seasonal refresh in fall or spring that targets shedding with special shampoos.
Add a maintenance plan where clients prebook every six to eight weeks at a small discount.

When you suggest an upsell, all you need to do is frame it as helpful — it doesn’t need to be salesy.

Instead of “Want to add this on?” try something like, “Since your doodle’s coat is pretty thick, we recommend our deshedding package. It helps reduce tangles at home and saves you time brushing.”

That one sentence frames the upgrade as a benefit for them, not an add-on for you.

3. Make Booking & Reminders Effortless

Nothing messes up your grooming schedule faster than no-shows. They waste staff time and cost you money. But the solution is simple — make booking easy and send reminders.

How do you do that?

Offer online booking right on your website or Google Business Profile so customers don’t have to call during business hours.
Send SMS reminders 48 hours and 24 hours before the appointment (most people notice a text much faster than an email).

Want to really wow them? Include a link to reschedule so they can do it without picking up the phone.

4. Use Email & SMS Marketing Wisely

Email and SMS serve different purposes, and every dog grooming business should leverage both. Here are the benefits to using each marketing channel:

Email is where you can tell stories, highlight staff, share grooming tips, and announce promotions. It’s perfect for building relationships and reminding customers why they love your store.
SMS is for quick, urgent messages, like appointment reminders, last-minute openings, and short offers (“Two spots open tomorrow — 15% off!”).

A simple plan could look like this:

Send a welcome email to new customers with their discount code.
Follow up with an email a couple of days after a groom with care tips and a review request.
Schedule a monthly newsletter with seasonal advice and product highlights.
Text once a month highlighting last-minute openings or special offers.

5. Try Loyalty Programs & Prebook Incentives

If you can get a client to prebook before they leave the store, you’ve won half the battle.

Most pet parents genuinely want to stay on top of grooming, but they just forget to schedule. You can offer a small discount for booking the next appointment on the spot, or create a simple loyalty program. For example:

Six grooms equals one free basic groom.
Customers receive a $10 credit for both the referrer and the friend when they refer someone new.
Customers earn points for every dollar spent, which can be redeemed for grooming or retail items.

Loyalty programs create a sense of progress and belonging. Plus, shoppers love knowing they’re working toward a freebie, and you benefit from steady repeat business.

6. Be the Groomer They Find First With Local SEO

When someone searches “dog groomer near me,” you want to be at the top of the list. Local search engine optimization (SEO) is how you make that happen.

Start with your Google Business Profile:

Add your grooming services and retail products.
Upload before-and-after photos.
Keep your hours up to date and respond to reviews quickly.

You should always encourage every happy client to share their feedback. A handful of fresh, positive reviews each month can boost your visibility and credibility. And don’t forget to sprinkle local keywords like “dog grooming in [your town]” on your website and service pages.

7. Let Your Grooms Speak for Themselves

Dog owners can’t resist before-and-after photos — and neither can their friends. Every groom is a built-in marketing opportunity.

Snap a quick transformation picture or record a short reel of your staff gently handling a nervous pup. Then post it on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok with a fun caption that highlights the glow-up.

Even better: ask your customer if you can tag them. Most pet parents love showing off their dogs, and when their friends see it, your reach grows instantly. It’s free marketing with a personal touch.

8. Participate in Community Partnerships & Events

Some of the best grooming clients you get are the ones who hear about you through a trusted source. That might be their vet, trainer, or a local shelter.

Here are some ways you can collaborate:

Team up with a vet for a cross-promo: “First exam + first groom discount.”
Sponsor a shelter adoption event and hand out grooming coupons.
Set up a pop-up grooming demo at a dog park or local fair.

These events cost very little but build trust quickly. People see you in their community, and that credibility carries over into your grooming business.

9. Don’t Forget To Measure Results

Marketing isn’t a one-and-done job. You need to track what’s working and what isn’t.

Start with a few simple metrics:

New grooming clients per month: Are your promos bringing in fresh faces?
Repeat rate: What percentage of customers return within six to eight weeks?
Average ticket size: Are upsells and packages increasing revenue?
No-show rate: Are your reminders working?

Checking these stats every month helps you tweak promotions and identify the areas where you’re making progress.

Put It All Together With a Simple 30-Day Plan

If this feels like a lot, don’t worry — you don’t need to implement everything at once. Here’s a simple roadmap for the next month:

Week 1: Launch a “New Pet Welcome” promotion and add an online booking link to your website.
Week 2: Train staff to offer a prebook discount and one upsell package at checkout.
Week 3: Post before-and-after photos on social media and request customer reviews on Google.
Week 4: Send an SMS to lapsed grooming clients offering a limited-time rebooking discount.

By the end of the month, you’ll already see a fuller calendar and more loyal customers.

How eTailPet Helps You Grow Your Dog Grooming Business

When it comes to learning how to grow your dog grooming business, you should also make sure you have the right systems in place.

Many pet store owners juggle too many tools at once: one app for scheduling, another for reminders, another for email, and a separate point of sale (POS) system for retail. It gets messy fast.

That’s where eTailPet comes in. It’s an all-in-one POS solution designed specifically for pet retailers, so instead of piecing together five different systems, you get everything under one roof.

With eTailPet, you can:

Automate your marketing by sending welcome emails, post-grooming tips, SMS reminders, and offers to win back lapsed clients.
Simplify booking with online scheduling, automated confirmations, and reminders that reduce no-shows.
Upsell with ease using prebuilt service packages and simple add-on options right at checkout.
Reward customer loyalty by automatically tracking punch cards, applying prebooking discounts, and offering referral credits.
Get insights that matter with reports on new clients, repeat visits, and average ticket size.
Boost your visibility by linking your booking system to your website and Google Business Profile so new customers can book instantly.

Want to see it in action? Schedule a demo today.

How To Grow Your Dog Grooming Business: 9 Marketing Tips

How To Grow Your Dog Grooming Business: 9 Tips