Pet Store Email Marketing: 7 Strategies, Tips, & Tools

Most pet store email marketing advice just doesn’t cut it for pet stores. 

Generic product blasts and discount codes might help move clearance candles and winter scarves, but they won’t connect with the pet parents in your community.

And here’s the thing — email is worth getting right. It’s still one of the most effective digital marketing channels, delivering an average $36 in return for every $1 spent.

When it comes to pet store customers, their inbox is where they keep track of their dog’s birthday, their cat’s special food, and their vet’s flea and tick reminders. So if you want to be the store they trust, your emails need to be smarter and more personal. 

In this blog, we share email marketing strategies, segmentation tips, and tools built for real pet store success.

Let’s dive in.

1. Send a “New Pet Welcome” Email Series

When someone brings home a new puppy, kitten, bird, or bearded dragon, they’re looking for answers. That’s your perfect opportunity to begin building trust. 

A well-timed “Welcome to Pet Parenthood” email series can make a huge difference in how people perceive your brand. Instead of pushing products right away, focus on being genuinely helpful. 

Answer the questions they’re already Googling at midnight:

• What should I feed them? How often? Break it down by age or breed. Offer a few beginner-friendly food options you carry in store or online.
• What supplies do I need? Help them avoid overbuying or forgetting essentials. A checklist-style email with links to starter kits or first-aid basics can make shopping easier and encourage a return visit.
• What are some training tips or boredom busters? Share enrichment ideas, crate training basics, or simple obedience tips. Bonus points if you tie it back to your products (like puzzle toys or training treats) without sounding too salesy.
• What grooming needs should I expect? If they just adopted a long-haired dog or a molting parrot, they might not realize what’s coming. Offer bite-sized grooming advice tailored by pet type, with links to brushes, nail clippers, or your in-store grooming services.
• What services can help right now? Nail trims, socialization classes, new pet meetups, and puppy kindergarten — they all give people a reason to visit again and build a connection beyond retail.

Use these types of emails to educate new pet parents and sprinkle in some gentle product suggestions or coupons for their next trip.

Related Read: 15 Pet Store Email Marketing Best Practices (+ Free Templates)

2. Celebrate Pet Birthdays (& Gotcha Days)

No one forgets their dog’s birthday anymore — and with the right tools, your email marketing doesn’t have to either. With a pet profile in your system, you can automatically send:

• Birthday wishes (with a treat or discount)
• “Gotcha Day” reminders for adopted pets
• Loyalty point bonuses for celebratory visits

These kinds of emails are short, sweet, and high-converting because they make people smile. Plus, since they hit such a personal note, they tend to get great open rates and drive action.

3. Segment Your List in Ways That Make Sense for Pet Retail

“Send to all” is a thing of the past.

Your email list is a community of pet parents with very different needs. After all, a bird owner doesn’t need to hear about dog leashes, and a reptile enthusiast probably isn’t shopping for cat toys. 

So, segment your list using details only a pet store has:

• Pet type (e.g., dog, cat, bird, reptile)
• Breed size (great for recommending harnesses, toys, and chews)
• Prescription diet customers (ideal for sending reminders and reorder links)
• Service users (like grooming, training, and daycare customers)

When you match your message to the pet, your emails instantly feel more relevant and helpful.

4. Set Up Seasonal Health Alert Emails

Your customers are busy. Most aren’t thinking about flea prevention or allergies until it’s too late.

That’s where you can step in as their helpful, trusted resource by sending proactive health alerts that remind them to take action before problems start.

Send proactive seasonal alerts like:

• “Flea & Tick Season Starts Soon — Are You Ready?”

• “Winter Paw Protection Tips & Top Products”
• “Spring Allergies: Natural Relief for Pets”

These emails position you as the expert and help drive timely in-store and online purchases.

5. Automate Reorder Reminders for Food, Litter, & Treats

If you think about it, consumable items like food, litter, and treats are really the heartbeat of your pet store. They’re the products customers keep coming back for again and again — but honestly, it’s easy for busy pet parents to forget when it’s time to restock.

Set up email reminders based on typical buying cycles. For example:

• Dog food every four to six weeks
• Cat litter every three to four weeks
• Treats or chews every two weeks

Be sure to make it super easy for customers to act on these emails. Include direct links to reorder their usual brands online or options to reserve items for quick in-store pickup. The smoother the process, the more likely they are to come back to you first.

6. Recover Abandoned Carts With Friendly Follow-Ups

If you sell online, you’ve probably noticed it: People add items to their cart and then disappear before checking out.

But this doesn’t mean you’ve lost the sale.

Set up an automated abandoned cart email to go out a few hours after someone leaves without checking out. Include:

• The item(s) left behind
• A reminder or small discount
• A quick “Need help?” message with store contact info

Sometimes that little nudge is all they need to finish the purchase.

7. Reward Loyal Customers With Smart Email Triggers

If your store has a loyalty program, you’ve already taken a big step toward keeping customers coming back. But why stop there? 

You can make your loyalty program work even harder by setting up triggered emails that speak directly to your customers’ progress and habits.

Send triggered emails to customers when:

• They earn enough points for a reward.
• They’re close to a new reward tier.
• They haven’t visited in a while and need a reason to come back.

These emails remind them of the perks of shopping local and keep your store top of mind.

Related Read: 5 Best Pet Store Loyalty Programs: Retain Your Best Customers

Why eTailPet Is Your Ideal Partner for Pet Store Email Marketing

Today’s pet parents want their favorite stores to understand their pets’ needs and communicate with care — eTailPet can help you with that.

With eTailPet’s marketing tools built in to the point of sale (POS) system, you can easily set up personalized campaigns like:

• A “New Pet Welcome” email series that helps you build trust from day one
• Smart segmentation to send the right message to the right pet parent
• Timely seasonal health alerts that show you care about pet wellness
• Automated reorder reminders for food, litter, and treats
• Loyalty reward triggers to keep customers coming back

Ready to discover how simple, personal, and effective pet store email marketing can be? Book a demo with eTailPet today.