Are you looking for the best pet store management software for your retail store?
Running and managing a retail pet store involves a lot of moving parts. When you start out, there are many decisions you need to make to effectively run your business.
And one of the most important things to decide is what pet store management software platforms you need. Making the right decision can take time, but it is worth it in the long run.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the key things you need in your business management software. Then, we’ll explore our top five picks for providers, so that you can better understand and navigate your options during your decision-making process.
Why You Need Pet Store Management Software
Pet store management software helps you run your business properly. As you implement these software solutions, you’ll stay more organized and gather the data you need to run your store efficiently.
Business management software consists of the following key aspects:
- Financial management: It’s essential to have financial management software to help you with cash flow management, financial analysis, forecasting, and budgeting.
- Inventory management: This software tracks your inventory, sales, and stock levels, and assists with scheduling your pet services. It also gives you insight on reordering, product trends, and supplier relationships.
- Customer relationship management (CRM): This system keeps a record of your customers. It can often help you with personalized services, loyalty programs, customer feedback/preferences, and customer communication, so that you can retain loyal customers.
- Marketing and promotion: This aspect of business management often includes promotional texts and emails, which is made much easier with a saved customer list.
Related Read: How To Open a Pet Shop in 4 Simple Steps
What To Look For in Pet Store Management Software
Business owners often look into providers to take care of each of these important aspects of their business — some are better for large retailers, while others better suit small businesses. Keep this in mind as you explore your options.
Some retailers choose a point of sale (POS) solution that has many of these aspects built into the system — it’s not uncommon to find a POS system that also assists you with financial management or inventory management. This all-in-one point of sale system could be a great fit for independent pet store retailers like you.
Your business management software platforms should ultimately help you run your pet store in the most efficient way possible and cater to your specific needs.
5 Top Business Management Providers
Let’s dive into our top picks for pet store management software providers.
Financial Management: Quickbooks
Quickbooks is a software that assists business owners with all financial and accounting needs. This software is tailored to businesses of all sizes, and can help with payroll, tax assistance, advanced reporting, inventory management, financial planning, and much more — it’s focused on helping with your financial management needs.
Key features:
- Bill management
- Invoice management
- Inventory tracking
- Bookkeeping automation
Pricing: Quickbooks offers different pricing plans with varying levels of features and capabilities. Plans range from the Simple Start plan starting at $30/month to the Advanced plan at $200/month.
Inventory Management: Square
Square is a software solution that automates your business efficiency and assists with revenue streams. They offer POS systems and hardware to help many types of businesses sell products in store. The software also helps you manage cash flow, provide advanced reporting, diversify revenue, and manage teams effectively. Many small retailers use Square to run their store by tracking inventory and managing transactions.
Key features:
- Multi-channel operations
- Partner integrations
- Custom commerce experiences
Pricing: Plans range from a free option to $30/month, as well a premium plan that’s custom priced to your needs.
Related Read: Managing Overstock and Surplus Inventory: A Guide for Pet Store Owners
CRM & Marketing/Promotion: Mailchimp
Mailchimp is an automated email marketing platform that helps businesses optimize email marketing by increasing opens, clicks, and sales. The main focus of this platform is to drive emails into revenue. It helps retailers gather and save email lists and market to them by sending out personalized emails to customers.
Key features:
- Automated emails
- SMS campaigns
- Audience segmentation
- Analytics and reporting
Pricing: Plans include Free, Essentials, Standard, and Premium. They range from $13/month for Essentials to $350/month for Premium.
POS & Commerce Platform: Lightspeed
Lightspeed provides a point of sale and payments platform for businesses in various industries, including retail. They offer industry-leading insights and personalized support from experts in the field. The platform is designed to be fast and intuitive, and serves as one touchpoint for all your retail business needs.
Key features:
- Inventory management
- Fully integrated payments
- Integrations
- Reporting and insights
Pricing: Plan pricing depends on the number of locations and registers. The Basic plan starts at $89/month.
Related Read: ABC Analysis for Pet Stores: Categorizing Inventory for Efficiency
All-in-One POS System: eTailPet
eTailPet’s point of sale system includes everything you need for in-store and online transactions. Our software combines your financial management, inventory management, and CRM and marketing tools — all in one system.
This solution is specifically designed for the pet industry, with the key features you need to run your business smoothly.
Key features:
- Integrations with Quickbooks and Mailchimp
- In-store and online inventory management with pet product catalogs built in
- Pet-specific partner integration: Astro loyalty integration
- Website and marketing tools
- Smart order system to tell you what inventory to order based on what you’re actually selling
Pricing: Pricing plans depend on your pet store’s needs. Contact us for a custom quote today!
Choose the Best Pet Store Management Software for Your Business
There are many factors and software platforms to consider when deciding which pet store management software to implement, so it’s important to make sure you choose a platform that addresses all of your needs. Whether you focus on a variety of separate platforms or an all-in-one solution, each of these business management aspects are essential for your pet store.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution, eTailPet might be your best bet.
Ready to learn more? Request a demo with us today!