Do you spend countless hours trying to organize your pet store inventory?
You’re juggling everything from frozen dog food with expiration dates to giant cat towers that sit for months. You’ve got hamster wheels, bird feeders, flea meds, live animals, and seasonal gear for winter walks and summer road trips.
And somehow, you’re supposed to track it all without wasting time or money. Sound familiar?
If you’re like most independent pet retailers, you’re probably spending too much time manually reordering, trying to make room for overstock, or wondering where all your cash went at the end of the month.
We know optimizing your pet store inventory management strategy can be overwhelming, so we have eight tips and tools you can use to help.
Let’s get started.
Before getting into the solutions, let’s talk about what can make pet store inventory management uniquely challenging in the first place:
In short, you’re managing a broad range of products with varying requirements — all under one roof.
Now, let’s dive into the tips that you can use to manage your pet store inventory.
Categorizing inventory can be intimidating for pet stores. Not only do you have a wide variety of products, but you also offer them for multiple types of pets.
That’s why your first priority is creating a clear and logical inventory structure. But where do you begin? What’s the best way to organize your inventory?
Here’s a model you can start with — and refine as needed:
Repeat this process for every type of animal that you carry products for, then go deeper. Subcategorize by brand, size, and even age group (puppy, senior, etc.). This structure makes it easier to sort, scan, and restock.
Some pet products in your store fly off the shelves. Others? Not so much.
This is where ABC analysis comes into play. It’s a simple way to figure out which items deserve most of your attention and which ones don’t.
The idea is to group your products into three categories — A, B, and C — based on how much money they actually bring in.
Here’s how it works in a pet store.
These are your bestsellers — the products your customers ask for again and again.
Think:
You never want to run out of these items. Check stock weekly, reorder often, and negotiate with suppliers for the best pricing and terms.
These are steady sellers. They don’t move as fast as your A items, but they’re still worth keeping around.
Think:
Stay on top of these, but don’t stress. Check them monthly, maintain a comfortable stock level, and stick with standard supplier terms.
These are the products that sell eventually — or maybe they don’t.
Think:
Review these every few months. If they aren’t selling, don’t be afraid to mark them down, stop reordering, or just special order them when a customer asks. No need to let them take up space and tie up your cash.
Related Read: ABC Analysis for Pet Stores: Categorizing Inventory for Efficiency
Once you’ve got your inventory organized, the next step is figuring out how much of each item you need to keep on hand.
Luckily, PAR levels can simplify this process. PAR stands for “Periodic Automatic Replenishment” — but don’t worry, it’s not as complex as it sounds.
Your PAR level is the “just right” amount of inventory to keep on hand — enough to meet demand without overstocking your shelves and tying up your cash.
Start by looking at:
Once you’ve set your PAR level, reordering gets easier. When your stock dips to that number, you know it’s time to place another order.
Your store’s needs change throughout the year, so it’s a good idea to revisit your PAR levels every so often. Here are some basic guidelines.
Fast-moving staples:
Example: You sell 30 bags of 25-pound dog food per week. With a one-week lead time and a 20% buffer, your PAR level equals 36 bags.
Seasonal items:
Example: Last Halloween, you sold 100 pet costumes. If you expect 10% growth this year, plan for 110 costumes. Start with 66 units, then reorder based on how fast they’re selling in early October.
High-value items:
Example: You carry a $300 cat tower that sells about once a month. Set your PAR level at one, and offer preorders if someone wants a specific color or model.
Perishable products:
Example: You sell 12 frozen raw food packs per week. If each pack has a 6-week shelf life, then your maximum stock is around 72 units. With a 25% margin, your PAR level is about 90 packs — just be sure to watch for spoilage trends and adjust as needed.
It’s one thing to keep your shelves stocked. It’s another to stock them wisely. Inventory is money, and too much of it sitting idle can drain your cash flow.
So, how much inventory should you carry?
A financially healthy pet store typically keeps around two to three months of sales in stock. This gives you enough of a buffer to meet demand without overcommitting your budget.
Break it down like this:
But stock value isn’t the only metric that matters. Carrying costs — the hidden expenses of holding inventory — can eat away at your margins.
These typically include:
Combined, they can add up to 20–30% of your inventory’s value each year.
This means a $500 item sitting unsold for six months may silently cost you $50 to $75 in overhead — before you even think about markdowns.
Related Read: Managing Overstock and Surplus Inventory: A Guide for Pet Store Owners
If your pet store inventory management strategy doesn’t shift with the seasons, your cash flow is going to suffer.
Holidays, warm weather, and even adoption trends all bring major changes in customer behavior and what they’re buying.
Here are some examples of how to plan ahead:
It helps to review last year’s seasonal data alongside your current growth so you can order just the right amount.
Every store has those products that just don’t sell.
Maybe it’s an eco-friendly cat litter your customers didn’t love or a luxury pet bed that’s slightly too expensive for your local market. Regardless, dead stock ties up space, money, and mental energy.
You don’t have to guess which products are underperforming — just look at your sales data. If something hasn’t sold in 90 days or more, it’s time to take action.
Here’s how to deal with it:
Technology might feel intimidating at first, but the right tools can save you hours and make your inventory process way less stressful.
Here are a few simple ways to use tech to your advantage in your pet store inventory management strategy.
Still typing in product names or SKUs by hand? This may be the biggest time-waster in your store.
Adding barcode scanning can cut your inventory time in half. It speeds everything up — from receiving shipments to doing cycle counts — and it helps avoid mistakes.
Plus, it makes training new staff much easier. Instead of explaining your whole naming system, you can just say, “Scan the tag.” Done.
When your point of sale (POS) system supports barcode scanning, you can:
If you’re not using barcode scanners yet, it’s a small change that can make a big difference.
A cloud-based POS system means you’re not tied to the front counter.
You can check your inventory, update products, or see sales reports from anywhere — whether you’re at home, on vacation, or managing a second location.
Make sure it’s easy to use. A clunky interface just slows you down and increases the chance of mistakes. You don’t want to spend all day figuring out how to fix a simple inventory error.
Look for a POS system that’s built for pet stores, not a generic retail system.
You want features like:
Related Read: The Convenience of Using an Integrated Payment Processor With Your Pet Store
Even if your system is mostly automated, you still need to check in.
Here’s what regular audits help you do:
Find an audit process that works for you — maybe full audits every quarter or weekly mini-counts by category. Then, make a habit of checking your inventory data regularly.
Your pet store suppliers play a major role in how smoothly your inventory runs.
A reliable, flexible supplier helps you stay stocked, competitive, and profitable. A poor one can leave you with empty shelves, dead stock, and lost sales.
Start by negotiating better terms.
Consider taking these steps:
It’s also smart to diversify your supplier base:
Finally, keep track of your suppliers’ performance over time.
Watch for:
Strong supplier relationships take effort but pay off by improving your inventory control and increasing your margins.
Now that you’ve got the basics of pet store inventory management down, it’s time to put this knowledge into action with the right tool to back you up.
eTailPet is an all-in-one, cloud-based POS system made just for pet stores. It simplifies inventory management and gives you greater control over your stock.
Here are just a few ways it helps:
eTailPet gives you everything you need for pet store inventory management. Schedule a demo today to see how it can help you run your business more efficiently.