Here we are, back with part 2 on Holiday Retail Marketing Trends 2019. Here’s a link to Part 1 if you’re looking to get caught up. Part 1 touched on the fact that holiday shoppers are going bigger and starting earlier and that shoppers in today’s world don’t tolerate bad buying experiences. If you missed part 1, catch up and be sure to give us a follow and join our community for pet business owners that want to grow their pet business.

As promised, we’ll dig into the final three areas:

Window shopping is shifting to Stories
People are purchasing in-store
Messaging is fueling loyalty

We’re hoping our community of pet business owners and pet store owners are able to use these trends and key takeaways to improve their pet store’s marketing strategy for the holiday season. We are well and truly in it now with Thanksgiving and Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday right around the corner.

Holiday Retail Marketing Trends 2019
Part 2

Window shopping is shifting to Stories

So, we’ve discussed when pet parents today are shopping (Part 1). Let’s move on to how they’re shopping.

Social media has become the new shop window: it’s where pet parents are browsing, finding inspiration, and making decisions.

69% of people find Stories on Facebook and Instagram to be a great way to discover
and become familiar with new products or services (Source: Facebook).

Combined with the persuasive powers of influencers on these platforms, it’s no surprise that more and more consumers are finding gift ideas as they’re bombarded with content leading up to and during the holiday season.

As a pet store owner, the best way to get in on this is to make your voice heard and your brand seen on social. Use Stories, standard posting, boosted posts, and even short, tight-audience ad campaigns. Focus on holiday products, popular products, new products, sales items, etc.

Need help with that stuff? Bring us in, your outsourced marketing partner dedicated to growing your pet store or pet business.

Reach Out →

People are purchasing in-store

Now let's shift gears to shopping in your pet store and the behaviors that surround that. In-store shopping still makes up the lion’s share of consumer spending.

Even though global eCommerce grew by 18% last year, the $3 trillion made in online sales is slightly above 15% of the total retail market (Source: eMarketer).

Mobile and online shopping is important and continues to grow. But the in-store experience retains some benefits that are lacking online: the ability to see and feel products in person, getting real-time human-to-human assistance, and the shared experience of holiday shopping with friends or family.

Want to take advantage of this? There are a few avenues to pursue as a pet store owner: invest in improved customer experience (shorten wait times, improve online capabilities, train highly-competent staff), and drive traffic into your store with online and mobile pet store marketing tactics. Think coupons, email marketing, sales and bag stuffers, social media promotions, etc.

Messaging is fueling loyalty

More and more customers are reaching out via messages. In fact, 20 billion messages are now being sent every month between people and businesses on Facebook Messenger. That’s a tenfold increase in just three years! Furthermore, 65% of holiday shoppers report being more likely to shop with businesses they can message (Source: Facebook).

Providing a personalized messaging experience for your customers has the potential to set your brand apart during the festive season. So how can pet stores personalize their messaging? A few ways:

Manage your inboxes closely - we can help with that
Segmented audiences and special offers with email marketing - we can help with that
Sending coupons or offers and sharing store locations on Messanger - we can help with that
Ensure that your outgoing social media content is personable - we can help with that

Holiday Retail Marketing Trends 2019
Part 2 Conclusion

The holiday season is an incredible opportunity to connect with your pet store’s shoppers and assure that your products and brand rise to the top of their wish lists. As pet parents use their mobile phones to make their holiday shopping decisions, you have an amazing opportunity to give them inspiration, remove friction from their shopping journey and help them complete their purchases online or in-store.

For more holiday-based content and pet store marketing tips, stay tuned! More to come. Share your thoughts, feedback, and comments with us on our social channels or below.