Six Pet Business Ideas to Consider:
1. Partner with Local Vets
It can be very constructive to collaborate with local veterinarians, so that they will feature your retail items in exchange for referring customers to their practice. This is a great way to form a constructive partnership within your industry, and help you gain additional sales.
2. Hold Pet-Friendly Events
Get to know your customers by hosting events that both your human and animal customers can attend. Not only is this an opportunity to bring in more revenue, but these events will also allow you to promote your brand and bond with your customer base.
3. Post Pet Pictures
Let’s face it, people love animal pictures! Ask customers to take pictures of their pets with merchandise from your store. This will help you show off your products, and the cute pets that use them! You can also spark some customer engagement by holding a social media contest, where the picture with the most likes or shares gets a prize!
4. Help Animals Find Homes
Partner with a local shelter and give some animals the homes they deserve!
According to the ASPCA, 7.6 million companion animals are brought to shelters across the U.S. You can make a difference by partnering with a local shelter. They’ll take care of connecting the animals with their forever homes, and you can provide the supplies that new owners will need!
5. Add Grooming Services
Increase your business’s value by adding grooming services to your establishment. Even hiring one groomer to join your team could be a smart choice for your growing business. This is an especially good idea if you’re focusing on dog business ideas, since most dogs get groomed every 6 to 8 weeks. If you’re able to grow a consistent customer base, this could be a beneficial way to stand out against competitors.
6. Apply for Working Capital
While running a pet store can be a successful endeavor, there may be times that you need extra cash to sustain your business. Whether it is purchasing more inventory, hiring additional employees, or adding new services (like we previously suggested), it is likely that you may
need some additional funding to make these efforts a reality.
Starting a pet store requires fresh ideas and enough financing to make them happen. With these pet business ideas, we hope you are able to serve pet owners and their companions with the best possible products and services!
Editor’s Note: This post was updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness in January 2019.