Congratulations! You have won over a customer and nurtured the relationship to ensure that your pet parent keeps coming back every month. This is your pet store’s lifeblood: the loyal shopper. It’s a good feeling, seeing familiar faces, isn’t it?

If you haven’t had the opportunity to follow along with our miniseries on The Pet Parent’s Journey to Loyalty, you can check out Part 1 on Acquisition and Part 2 on Retention at your leisure. Better yet, don’t miss out on these when they come out so you can put your learnings into action sooner. Follow us on our social platforms and sign up for monthly emails to get help marketing your pet store.

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THE PET PARENT'S JOURNEY TO LOYALTY

On this final portion, part 3, we’re going to talk about customer loyalty and how to tailor your marketing messaging to influence pet parents into becoming loyal customers. No doubt about it, the in store experience is more important than your outbound marketing (email, social media, website, etc), but it’s not a black and white area. Your marketing messaging influences people and pushes them into having those fantastic in-store experiences.

loyalty

quality and price

A study done by Yes Marketing resulted in data that’s worth looking at: Once customers become loyal, they are marginally less influenced by price than if they were new (though it’s still a top factor). They continue to have high expectations for quality. When asked what makes them loyal, 41% of consumers say quality and value lead to loyalty, while 35% say price is the most important factor.

At Pet Engine Marketing, we understand the market for pet retailers. It’s competitive, and can be difficult fighting against the supply chains and convenience offered by P*tco, PetS*art, and Am*zon. However, this data gives us hope with one major takeaway:

As long as retailers meet their customers’ needs for consistent product quality,
shoppers are willing to forego convenience.

So, let’s get to action. What can you do as a pet store owner to sell the value and quality of your products and your in-store experience to beat the competition?

Emphasize quality. People pay for quality in all industries - why not the pet industry? Sometimes your customers might need reassurance. Are your marketing messages and your staff inside your pet store reminding customers that they “know and love the quality of your products?” Or how about that “your store has never led them astray?” What about a personal recommendation of a product, partner, or service? Your voice has authority.
Reward loyalty repeatedly! There are so many ways you can segment and reward your loyal customers. Use your POS system to offer your top 10% of pet parents exclusive deals, access, events, celebrations, and beyond. Send them personal cards. Tell them they’ve earned it and that you’re grateful for their continued business.

Want to do this, but don’t know where to start? Schedule a call with the Pet Engine Marketing team and see how we can help your pet store grow.

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keep them coming back - for good

Here’s some more data that backs up the idea that you must reward customer loyalty. Your customers will be your customers only until they find something better, so you can’t rest on your laurels.

Being in business is about constantly being the best you can be for your customers.

Clearly, extra discounts have a healthy lead as the top factor in making customers feel rewarded. But it’s not everything - ultimately, it’s about knowing your customers and what they want, like, and value. It’s critical that you not only reward their loyalty, but strive to go above and beyond for them, surprise and wow them with communications that display that you truly do understand them. These are human relationships within the business world.

Less talk, more action:

Prioritize and publicize exclusivity. Throw a private event for your top 50-100 customers (not everybody will show up), and put snippets of it on your social feeds. Generate curiosity, interest, and even a bit of envy for a VIP event and relationship.
Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback or for more knowledge about your customers. Reach out to them directly, solicit them with surveys - find out what you can do that will keep them around for good.
Use your data to understand their buying habits. How often are they in? What’s the frequency for specific products? Personalizing their messaging by understanding the timing of their purchases can make them feel understood.

THE PET PARENT'S JOURNEY TO LOYALTY
Conclusion

We think it’s prudent to mention a few caveats here:

Although data is great, we are painting with broad strokes here. In the end, it’s the granular, minute personal relationships that create loyalty and keep your business going. With competition continuing to grow and improve, it’s imperative that your pet store do the same.
This isn’t easy. It’s hard to earn loyalty. It’s difficult to bring customers in for the first time. It’s tough to get them coming back. It takes hard work and change doesn’t happen overnight.

Check out parts 1 and 2 if you haven’t, and let us know some of your thoughts below or on our social channels on what’s worked or isn’t working for your pet store!