Sagittarian Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Just looking for some ideas to incorporate into one of our shops as we may have a little extra space soon. Is there anything that would really encourage you into a shop over another? We don't sell pets (never have, never will) or live food. We have one shop with a DIY dog wash and one with a grooming salon. Would love to hear some ideas!! Sags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chequeredblackdog Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 (edited) A pet friendly cafe? A training/play area? An area for special guests/reps/stalls? I'm not sure exactly your product range, but I always like finding a 'unique' or different range to the standard range kept at most places. I end up buying a lot of my favourite/different pet stuff online. Edited February 19, 2016 by Chequeredblackdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Love the pet friendly cafe idea! T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottsmum Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 How much space is a "little extra" space? What do you already stock? What competition do to have? Do you only do cats & dog stuff? Could you up the range? I've always thought if I had enough (*ahem* unlimited) capital to run my own space I'd have a freezer space available for Raw and an undercover / indoor training area for crappy weather. I don't think I'd bother with a cafe - too many potential hygiene. Could you dedicate the area to classes or "seminars" - as someone said above - reps or stalls? Rotating special features? One theme per month eg conditioning, fleas, arthritis? Maybe scales if no one in town has scales? We have a great little independent here in town, they have grooming AND DIY - which is how I found them. Lots of high end food, treats, beds, topys like slow feeders. To be honest - the biggest reason I go there (over 1 other small chain, pet barn and a number of feed shops) is bloody good service and freebies most times I go in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 (edited) what about a doggy chiropractor or osteopath working from there? I wonder if that would require lots of special licensing or permits. or maybe just a dog masseuse, it might easier, so long as they were still qualified and GOOD Edited February 19, 2016 by Kirislin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katdogs Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Our regular place has masses of space for reptile and bird stuff and seems to have high turnover. Actually, they moved the dog/cat shelves to be narrower to fit that in and I hate the narrow aisles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-o Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Dear antlers and water fountains :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagittarian Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Dear antlers and water fountains :) Tick - have done for yonks. We love em! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentchild Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 (edited) I once saw photos of a pet store overseas that was geared towards dog sports and had an awesome looking training/enrichment corner... let me see if I can find the link again... Edit : Here it is! I remembered wrong, it has an agility course built into the retail space. http://scoutregalia.com/collections/work/products/blue-collar-working-dog#IMAGE-1 Edited February 19, 2016 by silentchild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Even if its non food items if a shop smells bad I am out of there instantly. What encourages me to go to a shop is them stocking things I use. Interesting browsing, as sometimes like in the cheap variety stores you may not go in for anything but you may walk out with quite a bit. Competitive pricing. Polite & helpful staff. I wouldn't do anything that needs structural changes, special equipment, permits or costs much unless you are very sure there is a demand for it. Expanding your product range is a matter of trial & error. Obviously if 20 customers a week ask for a product you do not stock then you would get it in. A difficult question to answer as selling is psychological & depends on the demographics of your area & your shop being in the right place more than individuals responses to what forum members would like. You would need much bigger research than what you could get on this forum. You know your clientele so maybe ask them as they shop however you may get a hundred different answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagittarian Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 That is sooooo cool! Thanks for sharing that!And the enrichment area idea is awesome. I once saw photos of a pet store overseas that was geared towards dog sports and had an awesome looking training/enrichment corner... let me see if I can find the link again... Edit : Here it is! I remembered wrong, it has an agility course built into the retail space. http://scoutregalia.com/collections/work/products/blue-collar-working-dog#IMAGE-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagittarian Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 So much great input - thank you all. To give you a bit more insight into the shop in question: Known by our customers (and sought out by new ones) for big range of quality products and good food offerings and pride ourselves on excellence in customer service. It is a really big deal for us to get that right and we recently had someone post somewhere that they shop with us because of our knowledge and genuine care about their dog. Really lovely feedback. We probably stock about 50% dog stuff, 30% cat, and the rest made up of bird, small animal, fish and reptile. As we don't sell pets we find there is less demand in those areas for food and accessories, at least in our Gisborne shop (one in question). Space we're looking at would be the size of a big bedroom. Currently we have a good range of food: VAN (dry/fresh), Ivory Coat, Biopet, Blackhawk, Propac, Canidae, Artemis, Ziwipeak, Sunday Pets, Advance, Royal Canin, Euk, Iams plus a freezer filled with Barf and preservative free meat and a fridge filled with Van, Prime, Ecopet etc. We have a huge range of treats that are mostly Aussie and NZ. Lots of bedding from Snooza, T&S, Kazoo, etc. We were one of the first Kong Solutions Centres in Victoria so have a great selection of those, plus Tuffie, Chuckit, Aussie Dog etc, lots of quality choice there. Slow feeder bowls, fountains, lots of choices there and grooming products are from Plush Puppy to Aloveen to Earthbath and Paws etc. Oh, we keep a high standard of cleanliness - even when the salon is really busy customers comment on how nice the store always looks and smells. I really love the idea of a cafe and we do have a small grassy area in front of the shop as well, but whether we want to spend a lot setting it up is the question. We have been asked in the past about doggie day care or play area but not sure area is sufficient. All the replies have given me a lot to think about so thanks again and keep them coming! Sags :-) PS if we get the cafe happening you're all invited to have a free cup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottsmum Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Sounds ideal. For me I go back to specialty pet shops for hard to find items (such as ziwi), good prices and great customer service. Sounds like you've got that pretty well covered. Doesn't sound like it's really ideal for doggy day care - sounds too small. Does sound like it might be big enough for a class room / training area. What about setting up a cat space with high end cat products? Or I like Silent Childs idea of dog sports space? Maybe you could do a customer survey and ask them ? DO you have a mailing list? Random answer / "best answer" wins a few bucks store credit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denali Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 (edited) There is a tiny petshop near me that encourages people to bring their dogs to try a range of enrichment toys and treats/ foods. they have a bunch of different food toys- some that i havent seen before and give them to you and your dog to try to see which is best for you. Perhaps something like this? Gives people a try before you buy type thing for both treats and toys :) Theres a very popular pet cafe here that sell "puppachinos" for your pet while you enjoy a coffee- its always pretty busy. Edited February 19, 2016 by denali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 I like shops which have stuff like F10 disinfectant , raw food , and plain, strong leather collars! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dewclaws Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 I know you don't sell live animals but how about a section dedicated to rescues ? Perhaps a notice board with rescue profiles on it or perhaps invite some fosters in the area for ' open day ' when they can bring dogs (and extroverted cats ) in for a couple of hours to meet people and such . Might not bring in direct extra income but extra people coming in to view the dogs might bring business with them . Perhaps on the week ends it can be done ? Might be good place for dogs to meet potential new adopted dogs in neutral ground as well . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) I loathe the big chain pet stores. Their stock tends to be limited ranges of cheap collars and leads, over priced treats and toys and, in my experience, limited staff knowledge. Any worming products will be expensive, limited in range and poorly advised on for the post part. Walk into any of these shops and try to buy a limited slip or martingale collar that isn't a Rogz chain one and my bet is you'll fail. Ditto for a decent crate, a stainless steel feeding bowl or a quality brush. This will put me out of step with many dog owners but am not in the slightest bit interested in taking my dog to the pet shop for an enrichment experience. If dogs are allowed, its a high risk area for transmission of disease and inevitably (God knows why this is) there will be dogs marking the stock. I think it is particularly risky to provide communal water bowls as the chain stores do. I appreciate that some things (especially coats and harnesses) need to be fitted to dogs so a fitting area would be a good idea but I don't want to be fending off dogs out for a visit when I shop. What gets me going back is quality products (things like Durapet bowls and Blackdog collars which the big chains don't stock), and a good range of grooming products. The niche for any non chain pet store for me is staff with knowledge and a range of quality products in areas like grooming, collars and leads and coats and accessories. Top quality dog food too. Those are things I buy regularly. Thank God we have one or two of those shops in the region. People travel a long way to get there and the serious dog nuts like me spend up. I think a shop like that would offer a real alternative to online shopping. I do prefer to see before I buy. The only thing I can suggest to add is an education/seminar area so that you can advertise little seminars (like Bunnings do) to help dog owners care for their dogs. Even learning how to properly brush a dog, trim nails and give tablets is useful. I'm sure the dog sports folk would line up to give quick talks and show videos on Saturdays. So an area that provides education would be my pick. Rescues could set up there too. Edited February 20, 2016 by Haredown Whippets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 The decent dog gear that you only seem to find online, most likely overseas although we are getting better with decent dog gear in Aus - and would never find at an every day pet shop. Decent collars like a full range of Black Dog, proper harnesses - performance & car safety harnesses, performance toys such as jackpot tugs, proper sports wear coats & rugs for keeping dogs truly warm in winter Hurrta, D-fa etc, even just to be able to try on and order. Decent dog boots are another item, no pet store stocks anything that will help when you've got a dog with an injured paw which needs to be protected. Offer a measuring service for specific products (coats, harnesses, boots etc) and get to know the way their products fit, I have a Lab x who is a night mare to fit for a decent winter coat because she's 19 kg, skinny and fit I don't want to add up how much gear I've purchased online over the past 10 years of dog ownership and either moved it at a reduced price or returned it and paid postage both ways for gear that wasn't what I expected, didn't fit or didn't suit. I may not travel the 3 hours specifically to go to a store that stocks all this stuff, but I certainly would make a point of swinging by any chance I got if I was in Melbourne or surrounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottsmum Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 I was thinking about this driving home from dog training today - I reckon you could fit 2 or 3 dog treadmills in a "large bedroom" space. Kinda like a dog gym. Great for wet winter. If you've got good air con it would work well on hot days too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) Live aquarium and pond plants! :laugh: A beautiful green display all lit up is like a magnet for me. It's so hard to find a good range of healthy plants (even quality driftwood etc), I've gone to buying them on ebay. Which is a shame. edited to add; I have no dog product suggestion, your shop sounds like christmas already. LOL Edited February 20, 2016 by Powerlegs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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