9 Exciting Pet Store Event Ideas To Draw Customers

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For your pet store to be successful, you need a community of loyal customers.

A great way to build a sense of community is to host in-person pet events at your store. Events can draw more people into your store, allowing them to see your products and making them more likely to buy from you. They also allow your customers to meet each other, as well as you and your staff, making them more comfortable with your store.

While that may sound easy to implement, coming up with pet store event ideas can be a challenge. Lucky for you, we’re going to share some pet store event ideas to help your small business get started!

1. Dog Training Workshop

Training a dog improves their quality of life, and makes it easier for their owner to care for them. However, many dogs go untrained because owners aren’t sure how, feel overwhelmed, or think they can’t afford it. Hosting a dog training workshop can give dog owners an introduction to training.

Some pet stores offer pet training as part of their services, and training events are hosted by the store owner or a member of their staff.

If this isn’t a part of your business, you can bring in a local dog trainer or partner with another small business for a cross-promotional event. If you offer training-related pet supplies at your store, like whistles or clickers, try a limited-time discount on these items during the event to encourage attendees to buy with you.

2. Pet Grooming Workshop

In a similar manner to training workshops, pet grooming workshops can be the perfect advertising tool for pet stores that offer these services. If you have in-store pet groomers, these employees can host events to share grooming techniques and do product demos.

Offer discounts on items like pet shampoos and trimmers, as well as on grooming appointments during these events to encourage repeat customers.

3. Pet Show

A pet show is an opportunity for locals to show off their pets and engage in a fun competition. You can hold a small pet show in your store and give pets the chance to demonstrate their tricks.

Create categories and give out awards with small prizes to incentivize people to sign up. You can select winners yourself or have the group vote on categories like best trick, funniest act, or most unique talent.

Choose popular products from your pet store as the prizes for these winners, and advertise them to the group when you present the winners with them. You can even give out gift cards to your store! Fun events like these create a sense of camaraderie among event attendees and increase customer loyalty.

4. Pet Adoption Event

Hosting a pet adoption event helps you reach new customers, and support your community by finding homes for pets. Try to find a local animal shelter to collaborate with for such an event — but make sure you have enough staff between your pet store and the shelter to run it.

You also need enough space. If your pet store is large enough you can host it inside, or you might consider hosting it outdoors to accommodate more people and pets. The more people attend the event, the more pets can find homes, and the more successful your event will be — so be sure to promote the adoption event through both digital and traditional advertising means, including social media posts and flyers in your community.

New pet owners at the event will need supplies. For their convenience, you can offer a pet owner starter pack with food, a collar, toys, and grooming products. If you hold this event away from your pet store, bring these products with you so you can still make sales.

5. Veterinarian Check-Ups

It’s important to bring pets to the vet for an occasional check-up. While many pet owners do this at least once a year, some pets aren’t getting the health care they need. Hosting an event with free or low-cost check-ups provides a convenient option for pet owners to check in on their pet’s health.

Partner with a local veterinarian for these check-ups. Depending on demand, you could schedule appointments in advance or set up a walk-in clinic with no appointment necessary. Working with a vet will allow them to promote their services and allow you to promote pet health products you stock in your store, such as specialty foods, supplements, thermometers, and more. Place these products front and center during the event while customers have their pet’s health on their minds.

6. Pet First-Aid Course

In addition to routine check-ups, veterinarians can also teach courses on how to administer first aid in the case of pet injuries or an emergency. Workshops on this topic will help pet owners feel more prepared to take care of their pets in these situations.

As a part of these events, the instructor should go through essential items to have on hand for pet first aid. You can put these items together in a first-aid kit to offer to customers.

Consider these essential items to include in a pet first-aid kit:

Bandages
Antibiotic ointment
Medicine box with essential pills
Tweezers
Syringes

Try offering these kits at a discount to move as many units as possible. This increases sales for your store, increases customer loyalty, and improves pet safety.

7. Pet Nutrition Seminar

A pet nutrition seminar educates pet owners about what foods their pet needs to thrive. While many pet owners simply buy the cheapest pet food, the instructor should discuss the benefits of a varied and balanced diet as well as the benefits of organic options. Bring in a qualified instructor with a knowledge of pet nutrition to run the seminar.

Emphasize your store’s selection of great pet food during the event, including organic options, and provide coupons and discounts for them as well.

8. Pet Photoshoot

People love taking pictures of and with their pets. You can bring in a professional photographer, set up some backgrounds, put together some pet costumes, and host a pet photoshoot in your store.

Generate excitement for this event on social media by posting some examples of pet photos. Free or low-cost prints of these photos can be easily paired with some pet-themed photo frames.

9. Fundraising Event Benefiting Animals

Fundraising events benefit both your pet store and good cause. Find a local animal shelter or pet-related nonprofit, and organize a charity event where a portion of funds raised go towards the cause. As you publicize the event, emphasize its purpose in raising money for charity. A local event is likely to create more excitement among members of the community.

To raise money at the event, you could set up a raffle with prizes from your pet store, or auction items off. You could also have a pet bake sale or offer grooming services.

Customers are more likely to buy products during this event if they know a portion of the proceeds are going towards a good cause. Showcase your most popular products in eye-catching displays during the event to encourage browsing.

Implement Your Pet Store Event Ideas With eTailPet

Hosting effective events at your pet store boosts community engagement and helps you increase sales. When customers have a good experience at these events and their pets enjoy themselves, they’ll be more motivated to return to your store in the future.

As you experiment with pet store event ideas, pay attention to how popular they are. Over time you’ll get to know your customers and you’ll be able to see which events resonate with your audience. You may choose to repeat your most popular events to encourage customer loyalty and reach new customers. You never know: Your customers may eventually look forward to your store’s annual pet show or photoshoot!

To help you run your pet shop, including the promotion and tracking of in-store events, you need a point of sale (POS) system. eTailPet is an all-in-one solution that helps you manage all aspects of your pet store, including payment processing, inventory management, service scheduling, e-commerce, subscriptions, and so much more.

To see the difference eTailPet can make for your small business, schedule a live software demo today!