FROMM Puppy regular and large-breed foods. Seems we got a lot of new puppy customers. All size bags were popular. No promo, but we do give a puppy chew treat or toy with the first bag bought. — Nancy Okun, Cats n Dogs, Port Charlotte, FL
PRODUCTS
- We saw a spike in interactive toys. Couldn’t keep them on the shelf. We created a boredom busters video and posted to our Facebook page, which kicked off the interest. We sell OUTWARD HOUND, PLANET DOG and WEST PAW. — Janet Cesarini, Pupology, Georgetown, TX
- C&S Peanut Delight Log. Wild bird product that sells very well year-round, but since people are at home, my sales of them were up about 5 percent. Great price point, and the product comes ready to hang out of the package. — Lisa Boegl, Eldorado Country Pet & Wild Bird, Santa Fe, NM
- Chews and puzzle toys were top sellers. Body parts like Bare Feet chicken feet from BARE BITS, No-Hide Chews from EARTH ANIMAL, 12-inch Bully Sticks from REDBARN. NINA OTTOSSON puzzle toys really took off because people were looking to keep their dogs busy. We weren’t open for browsing, so all sales came online or by phone. — Jeff Jensen, Four Muddy Paws, St. Louis, MO
- BEST SHOT 256 disinfectant. Approved by the FDA to combat COVID-19. — Claudia Loomis, Cherrybrook Premium Pet Supplies, Stewartsville, NJ
- At Home Easter Egg Hunting Kits — We put together a large dog bag and a small dog bag. Each had six stuffed eggs with treats inside, Easter bakery cookies, Easter bandana we use for grooming services, then a variety of chews and treats that several of my brand reps donated. I sold each of these bags for $15. Total we sold 30 large and 13 small. We will definitely do this again next Easter! I think the fact that everyone was in quarantine, it helped push these sales, and they wanted to bring some fun and happiness to their holiday. We were forced to think out of the box to create something to sell to our customers, and it was a hit! — Taylor Gonzalez, Three Tails Parlor and Pantry, Columbia, IL
- Koi food and water conditioners. No marketing change, but this usually happens in spring. — Bob Bianchi, Blue Ribbon Koi & Marine, Catharpin, VA
- Gift certificates. A $50 gift certificate came with a 5 percent future discount, $100 with 10 percent, and $150 with 15 percent. They do not expire and can be used on anything. We sold over $5,000 worth. Most have yet to be redeemed. — Michelle Beckley, Kookaburra Bird Shop, Carrollton, TX
- PRIMAL — Did their freezer program, so new product, and with us rolling out Astro Loyalty, great offers on Bowl Boosters at $3 off. — Molly Taylor, Molly’s Mutt House, Houston, TX
- During the quarantine here in Vegas (March-April): First four days, it was stocking up on food. But after that, folks came in for toys, chews and treats mostly. EARTH ANIMAL No-Hides and RED BARN Bully Slices stayed strong for chews. We had a special on CHARLEE BEAR Crunchies and Bearnola, so those went well. — Kimberly Gatto, The Wagging Tail, Las Vegas, NV
- Our house biscuits, and BOCCE soft and chewy biscuits. People were home more, so they treated more. — Jennie Dudley, Hairy Winston, Mt Pleasant, SC
- I have had great results with our Quarantine Take Out Kit — in big or little dog sizes and packed in Chinese takeout containers — and our Easter baskets. I personally made 61 Easter baskets!. I had a couple of customers comment that they were just looking for some normalcy at Easter, and ordering a basket for their dog helped with that. — Kaye Busse-Kleber, Bark On Mulford, Rockford, IL
- We made boredom buster bags that blew out the door. They had a great price point, and it was perfect timing with this whole nightmare. We did three sizes with a price point of $24.99 with a BENEBONE and EARTH ANIMAL No-Hide, plus a few giveaways. — Huge hit. Jocelyn Turner, Woof Woof Pet Boutique and Biscuit Bar, Bristol, RI
- All dog food and cat food were the primary sellers in April. We only offered curbside pickup and home delivery, so the customers could not come in the store. We have done a daily “freebie” to entice customers to stay local. PRIMAL bone broth or goat milk, OPEN FARM GENTLY COOKED, OPEN FARM treats, COLORADO HEMP HONEY straws, PREPPY PUPPY bones that say our business name, STELLA & CHEWY‘s Wild Weenies, WHIMZEES, LOTUS Cat Raw, VITAL ESSENTIALS Cat Treats. — Penny Murano, Unleashed, New London, NH
- NULO dog food. Our staff use Nulo, so they believe in the products and can easily talk to the customers with their own experience. Also, there’s a coupon on each bag from vendor, which also helps push the sale. — Tammi Bui, Wishbone Pet Care, Missouri City, TX
- FROMM Dog food. Customers buying multiples of the largest bags. — Kimberly Barnes, New England Dog Biscuit, Salem, MA
- Food and treats. ORIJEN is our top selling food. — Carol Will, Lola & Penelope’s, Clayton, MO
- We had FROMM dry on sale, and this always lifts sales. Other popular products have been SKOUT’S HONOR and NATURE’S MIRACLE cleaning products. No real promotion, but increased demand. — Keefer Dickerson, Nashville Pet Products, Nashville, TN
- Toys! It was a complete surprise. We always sell a lot, but in this COVID-19 world, I was expecting chews and food. But I guess those working from home need puppy distractions! — Anna Woodcock, Brown Dog Bakery, Ankeny, IA
- Food! We limited customer hoarding, though. — Jennifer Flanagan, Nature’s Pet Market Sherwood, Sherwood, OR
- Customer bundles we created: Chew Boxes, Birthday Boxes and Milk & Cookies. — Michael Morris, Charmaine’ Pet Spa, Peoria, IL
- Frozen fish food. — Danny Bik, Wet Pets SRQ, Sarasota, FL
- Bully sticks and bones. Humans are home with their four-legged children and need to keep them busy, especially the customers who take their dogs to daycare. — Toni Shelaske, Healthy Pet Products, Pittsburgh, PA
- Aquarium supplies as a whole did well for us in April. We have seen a lot of people spending more time getting their aquarium back on track and spending more time with their hobby. We did several posts about new aquarium decor we had in stock, new set ups for people new to the hobby, etc. — Nicole Olesen, Woofs & Waves, Sioux Falls, SD
- Dry dog food, in general, was our best selling product. We didn’t do any different marketing, in fact we didn’t really market anything and didn’t run any sales or promos during this time. We just advertised we were open and an essential business. — Cassie Pomeroy, Pawtopia, Yukon, OK
- Dog food, bully sticks and other chews, and treats. — Ann Kjelsberg, The Salty Dog, Pacific Beach, WA
- Our delivery services have almost doubled in the past month, including frozen deliveries and subscription delivery services. — Frank Frattini, The Hungry Puppy, Farmingdale, NJ
- All of our long-term chews have been selling like crazy as people are trying to find new ways to engage their dog. We also have sold loads of snuffle mats as they are an easy, beginner level engagement puzzle. — Johnna Devereaux, Fetch RI, Richmond RI
- Easter Meals for dogs. We try to make a special meal for the holidays, and our customers seemed to appreciate a bit of normal during this crazy time. We offered an Easter Brunch Box featuring a frittata, banana maple muffins that looked like pancakes, slow-roasted sweet potato home fries, freeze dried fruit cup and an Easter cookie. — Stephanie Rossino, GiggyBites, Chadds Ford, PA
- Raw. He had lots of people stocking up on raw food in April. — Nancy Guinn, Dog Krazy, Fredericksburg VA
- Food and mystery bags made up of treats and toys from our inventory. It was a great way to treat your pet during our store closure. — Rosi Ladouceur, Barrkhaven Pet Boutique and Spaw , Ottawa, ON
- Food. As we were deemed essential, we went curbside only. People didn’t get a chance to “shop.” My goal was to keep all employees and to keep them healthy. — Paul Lewis, Birds Unlimited, Webster, NY.
- We created theme treat “bundle” offers: Beer & BarkBQ (beer cookies, beer biscuits and our Texas BarkBQ biscuit), Ultimutt Bundle (with biscuits & chews), Llama Fiesta Cookie Bundle (seven iced cookies), among others. — Esther Foster, Pawsitively Sweet Bakery, San Antonio, TX
- Toys have been flying out of the store. People working at home need to keep their dog occupied. — Pam Alerine, Style Mutt, Cleveland, OH
- Wild bird seed and feeders. — Cory Giles, The General Store, Collinsville, IL
SERVICES
- We offered toy and grooming bundles for dogs and cats, which we have never done before. They were a hit with new puppy owners and the many people who were adopting from shelters. — Victoria Park, Park Pet Supply, Atlanta, GA
- Dog training services, specifically private lessons, and our Puppy Day School program were up in April as compared to March. — Katherine Ostiguy, Crossbones, Providence, RI
- In April, it was our daycare services and grooming services that kept our multi-revenue stream business going. Our Saturday puppy nursery school was also a hit. It was a good filler for the growing concern that many pups were missing the important window of training, so we found that a drop-off and pick-up in place of training with their owners would fill the need temporarily until group classes could resume. — Angela Pantalone, Wag Central, Stratford, CT
- Grooming services. We did not close our grooming salon. As we provide pet food and supplies, we’re able to continue those services. As so many grooming-only salons were forced to close by the state, we picked up a lot of business. — Thomas Manning, EarthWise Pet Nutrition & Wellness Spa, Yakima, WA
- Our best-selling service last month was grooming. We’re one of the only salons that’s open in our area right now, so grooming appointments have been keeping us afloat. We’ve been able to advertise that we’re open through our social media pages and website as well as word of mouth, which have all helped tremendously during this time. — Natalie Bosch, Albany Pet Hotel, Albany, OR
- Dog walking. — Lois Barta, Wags 2 Whiskers Pet Services, Lake Zurich, IL
What’s the Brain Squad?
If you’re the owner or top manager of a U.S. pet business serving the public, you’re invited to join the PETS+ Brain Squad. Take one five-minute quiz a month, and you’ll get a free t-shirt, be featured prominently in this magazine, and make your voice heard on key issues affecting the pet industry. Sign up here.
