Most people who love their pets, simply do just that… they love on their pets forming a special owner-to-pet bond. What a lot of people don’t realize is that within that special bond between you and your pet is a lucrative business opportunity. If this will be your first business venture in the pet industry, start out small just to get your feet wet and the more comfortable you get with your business the more you can expand it and grow.
Why Is the Pet Industry Booming?
Did you know that there are so many benefits of having pets in your home? They’re not only cute to have but they can also improve your physical, mental, and emotional health. Apparently more people are learning about these added health benefits and adding fur babies to their family. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that owning a pet can:
- Lower your blood pressure
- Lower cholesterol levels
- Improve triglyceride levels
- Reduce feelings of loneliness
- Promote exercise and socialization
With all of the added benefits of owning a pet people are adopting more pets to love on and to improve their overall health. In knowing that, there is definitely a need for online pet stores and there is definitely room for you to join the fun of the pet industry… there’s actually a lot of great things happening in the pet industry right now! But in order to be part of the pet industry, there are just a few steps you need to follow in order to get your business off the ground.
Step 1: Determine Your Products to Sell
If you’re a pet owner, then you know how passionate pet owners are about their pets and with your store, you can sell a wide range of products to appease their needs and wants. Anything from food to grooming supplies… you want your store to be the go-to site for one-stop pet shopping.
Sell Pet Food
Pet owners are BIG on making sure their pet is eating high-quality food and are will to pay top dollar for it. There are different brands of food for various types of pets. For example, there are several different brands of dog foods for different breeds of dogs. The same thing goes for cats, birds, fish, and even guinea pigs.
If you are someone who dabbles in the kitchen and makes your own special treats for your pet, look into what it would take to sell your own pet treats! If you’ve come up with a doggy treat that is not only delicious to dogs but also nutritious for them, you could make a fortune!
Sell Pet Accessories
Just like humans need various supplies and accessories to function in everyday life, your pet does too. Now, humans don’t necessarily need leashes or muzzles but humans do need beds, blankets and grooming supplies… guess what, certain pets need those items too. For your online store, you can sell:
- Pet Toys
- Crates
- Collars
- Shampoo
- Deodorizers
- Nail Cutters
Just to show you how profitable you can be in the pet industry, the American Pet Products Manufacturer Association reported that $69.51 million was spent on pet products in 2017 and that number has considerably increased today so it’s definitely a business worth considering investing in.
Step 2: Find the Right Suppliers
Once you’ve determined what exactly you want to sell, now it’s time to actually find suppliers for your store.
Search Google
Hopping on Google is the most common way to search for suppliers but in using Google, you want to make sure you’re able to pick out genuine pet suppliers. In the Google search bar, try searching for pet suppliers specific to your location, like “pet supply in Atlanta, Georgia.”
Search Online Marketplaces
With online marketplaces, some of the suppliers might be local while others might be overseas so you need to keep in mind the shipping timeframes that you’ll have listed on your site. Also, you want to determine how you want your products shipped to your customers. Some suppliers will dropship the products directly to the customer for you while other suppliers don’t offer those types of services so when you’re communicating with the different suppliers make sure you know what services each supplier offers to help you pick the right one for your business.
Step 3: Get Your Online Store Started
Pick the Right Domain Name
The main thing to remember when choosing a domain name is to choose a specific to your business. The goal with this part of getting your business started is to make it memorable. When people do a search for dog food and your site pops up, you want them to remember your website so that when they need more dog food or other supplies, they’ll immediately remember to go back to your site.
Make Your Website Easy to Use
If your pet store is going to be for a wide range of different pets then you want to make your main categories the animal type and have your subcategories be product specific based on the animal type. Making your website easy to use also includes font sizes, colors, and payment processing systems. You pretty much want anyone visiting your site to have an enjoyable shopping experience as they would if they were to go shopping in a physical store.
Get Your Name Out There: Marketing Plan
There are several ways to get your business name out there for the world to know. You, of course, have word of mouth but in a world that is digitalized, you want to take full advantage of the world wide web. For instance, social media… platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are notorious for driving traffic to websites whether it’s to your blog or to various product pages. The thing with social media is that you want to make sure you are active on your business social media pages to stay relevant and on the minds of your followers.
The Pet Industry: Give It a Try!
As you can see, the pet industry has a lot of great things going on with lots of wonderful business opportunities. And just in case you didn’t know, you are not just limited to starting your online store with pet supplies. You can also start your own online business with pet services like dog walking, a pet bakery, pet photographer, and pet sitting, for example. With the pet industry being so large, there’s plenty of room for you to jump in and get your start!