NutriSource Blogs

It’s always a letdown after the rush of the holiday season, and that’s especially true in the retail space. Now that it’s January, the once eager shoppers have fewer pet toys and special treats on their shopping lists, while colder weather makes staying home more appealing. To help you bump up foot traffic at your pet shop in the post-holiday slump, here are some ideas you can try.

Healthy pet fair

New Year, new you, right? Many pet parents will be making New Year’s resolutions around eating healthy and getting more exercise. Why not inspire them to extend that intention to their pets? Cater to those New Year’s resolutions by hosting a wellness fair for pets.

• Invite a local vet to help pet parents set healthy weight goals for their beloved animals and hand out helpful information on how to live a healthier lifestyle.
• Since diet is a key part of pet wellness, you’ll also want to showcase the benefits of your top-quality brands. Call your sales reps; they’ll love an opportunity to chat with your customers about their weight-management formulas and hand out free samples.
• Offer demos and giveaways of products that encourage pet parents to increase their activity levels with their pets. After all, having an exercise partner boosts your chances of sticking to your intentions to get fit, even if it’s a dog.

Call the pawparazzi!

Setting up fun-themed photo backgrounds in the store encourages animal lovers to grab a snap with their pet, and share the adorable results on social media. Even though the holidays are over, there’s no shortage of timely themes that pet parents will fall for. How about a puppy bowl theme before the big game, or a red-carpet walk for glamour dogs?

Bring in those gift cards

After those strong gift card sales during the holiday season, the next step is getting people to spend them before they get tucked in a drawer and forgotten. Nearly 6 in 10 people (59%) who make purchases with gift cards end up spending more than the card’s value, which means this is a chance to win new customers and increase sales. To those paying with a gift card during the winter months, reward them. It could be a small freebie, extra reward points or just straight-up discounts.

Puppy play dates

Pups have tons of energy to run off; however, winter, with its brief days and cold temperatures, offers too few opportunities for long walks and romps at the dog park. Schedule some weekly or biweekly indoor play sessions at the shop, just for pups. Not only can they exercise someplace warm and dry, but the opportunity for puppy play gives young dogs that important opportunity to socialize.

Paw spa day

Consider what paws get exposed to in the winter — grit, deicing chemicals and cold temperatures — and it’s pretty clear those pads can use some extra love during the cold weather months. Include a nail trim in the package, since this is a chore that many pet parents would rather leave to the professionals. Otherwise, with a nervous dog, and the fact that it’s easy to clip off too much nail, people would rather their dogs not associate them with this bummer of an experience.

As anyone in retail will tell you, winter’s a tough time to inspire people to get out of the house and go shopping. Try some of these fun and helpful in-store experiences, and see if that helps boost traffic.

Of course, keeping up your social media posts is always an effective way to keep your brand top of mind with pet parents. Make social media easier with help from NutriSource Pet Foods. Simply visit NutriSourcePromoMktg.com, set up your free account and we’ll deliver great, ready-to-publish pet content to your inbox. Then, share it with your customers so you can do even more to help pet families live happy, healthy lives.