Editor's Note

Thank You!

520 indie pet pros took our inaugural ‘Big Survey’.

Published

1 year ago

November 14, 2022

Pamela Mitchell PETS+ November-December 2022

AS A REGULAR reader of PETS+, you know we love a good survey. Our monthly Brain Squad questionnaire goes out to independent pet retailers and service providers — owners and top managers — across the U.S. (and even a few in Canada). To receive the PETS+ Sample Box, store owners must agree to take a survey on the products included. And now we’ve added the Big Survey to our annual lineup!

Our first-ever look at the state of indie pet businesses in this country asked 69 questions, covering everything from what retailers look for in products and how they find them to the ways all respondents are overcoming current challenges such as supply-chain issues and staffing shortages.

Exactly 520 qualified pet pros took the survey! We can’t thank them enough — and we also want to express our gratitude to the American Pet Products Association for being its inaugural sponsor.

You’ll find the answers to all 70 questions, along with additional insights pulled from the data, starting on p. 28.

One thing to keep in mind: Unlike with our monthly Brain Squad survey, respondents answered this one anonymously. Indies are rarely shy when it comes to expressing their opinion, but this anonymity gave them the freedom to share revenue and other financial details they might not normally discuss in “public.”

Finally, as an incentive to take our first-ever Big Survey, we entered all who provided their name (just to us) in a random drawing to win a professional portrait session for their pet, with the best photo to appear on a PETS+ cover in 2023. We are thrilled to announce that Elaina Stanley of Three Happy Hounds in Fernley, NV, won. We can’t wait to see the pics!

Five Great Tips From This Issue That You Can Do Today

Hold a “Stocking Stuffer Extravaganza.” (Calendar, p. 8)
If you give holiday bonuses, hand them out in late November or early December. (Manager’s To-Do List, p. 10)
Don’t let customers in a rush, rush you. (Tip Sheet, p. 54)
Save time and money with a virtual assistant. (Lashonda Geffrard, p. 55)
Strategically placed focal points lead customers to where you want them. (Lyn M. Falk, p. 56)

NASC Media Spotlight

At first it was just an idea: Animal supplements needed the same quality control that human-grade supplements receive. But that was enough to start a movement and an organization —the National Animal Supplement Council — that would be dedicated to establishing a comprehensive path forward for the animal supplements industry. In this Media Spotlight interview, NASC’s president, Bill Bookout, talks to PETS+ interviewer Chloe DiVita about the industry today: Where it’s headed, what’s the latest focus and why it’s vital to gain the involvement of independent pet product retailers.