If you are a pet lover, you know how much joy and comfort they bring to your life. You also know how important it is to provide them with the best care and products possible.
That’s why the pet industry is booming, with pet owners spending $136.8 billion on pet supplies last year.
But shopping for pet supplies can be challenging, so more and more pet owners are turning to online shopping, with 36% of them buying pet products online last year.
You can tap into this growing market by creating your own online pet store, offering a wide range of quality products for all kinds of pets.
Photo Credit: MarlyneArt/Pixabay
Whether you want to sell food, toys, accessories, or health products, we have a guide for you. Follow our steps to build and grow your online pet store today.
Set Up a Website
A common way to promote and sell your pet products online is to build a dynamic website.
To start a website, you need to buy a domain name and create a URL address for your website.
Then, depending on your budget and requirements, you have two options to set up your online pet store website. You can use:
- A cloud hosting server such as HostGator to have full control over your website
- A software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based eCommerce platform such as BigCommerce or WooCommerce
Let’s discuss both of them in detail.
Start Pet Store with Cloud Hosting Server
Cloud hosting lets you design your eCommerce pet supplies website and own it completely.
To make it successful, choose attractive themes with good color schemes and wonderful designs that match your website logo.
Next, add eCommerce features to your website and create an easy-to-view product catalog.
Upload and display a variety of pet products in your catalog, such as pet food, grooming items, odor cleaners, collars and leashes, first aid kits, eating utensils, and various other accessories.
Finally, simplify product navigation with keyword-friendly search results, so users can easily find the products they need.
Photo Credit: Sam Moghadam Khamseh on Unsplash
Use A SaaS-Based eCommerce Platform to Run an Online Pet Store
A SaaS eCommerce platform is a cost-effective option for startups to build their website.
It allows you to run a website for a specified period of time and pay a subscription fee for the services.
Building your own online pet store on a SaaS-based eCommerce platform is very easy because it has a variety of built-in templates that you can use to design your website.
You can use these features to add various pet products, design your catalog, set up payment gateways for online checkout, and offer shipping options.
Optimize Your Website for Search Engines
After building your online pet store, the next step is to drive traffic to your website.
One way to do that is to advertise your online pet store on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, which account for 68% of a website’s traffic.
Your main goal here is to rank your website on the first search page.
Ideally, you should earn it by ranking at the top of the page or at least securing a spot on the first page.
That’s possible if you optimize your website by designing it skillfully and using SEO-friendly keywords in your product descriptions and blogs.
You can easily find these keywords on SEO tools such as Google Search Console, Ahrefs, SEMRush, Wordstream, and Moz.
Another important thing is that your content should be relevant to your audience, so your website can qualify for higher rankings on SEO. This helps pet parents to easily find you and trust you for buying products for their adorable pets.
Sell On Online Marketplaces
Starting an online pet store is a great option, but startups cannot achieve great results without investing time, effort, and money in the short term.
Therefore, an alternative way to achieve fruitful results and grow your pet supplies business online is to start selling on online marketplaces.
You can set up a shop on a popular platform like Amazon, or a B2B platform like SeeBiz (to trade pet supplies in bulk), as these platforms have a wide range of customers who are interested in buying pet supplies.
Online marketplaces are reliable platforms trusted by customers. It is easier to build your credibility with buyers on these platforms than on your own website.
Use Multiple Channels for Marketing
In this era of digital advertising, you can use different mediums to promote your online pet store and reach your target audience.
Some of the most popular channels are email marketing, mobile marketing, and social media marketing.
Email Marketing
There are countless ways to promote your online pet store through email.
You can create campaigns featuring discounted offers and a variety of pet products with appealing images, making it easy for pet owners to find suitable items for their furry friends.
By using email marketing tools like Mailmunch or Mailchimp, you can choose from a variety of email templates and customize them to suit your needs.
With the ability to automate your marketing campaigns, you can build trust and loyalty with your customers, increase sales, and grow your online presence.
Mobile Marketing
It's easy to target pet parents through mobile phones because they accompany us anytime and anywhere.
You can create a mobile-responsive design for your website so that customers can easily operate and use it on their mobile phones.
Designing a mobile app for your store is a plus, although it depends on your budget. Developing a mobile app can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $170,000.
Furthermore, you can leverage the use of messaging apps like WhatsApp and promote your products to a large number of customers by sharing them or forming groups.
Messaging apps can help you reach customers directly, send personalized messages, and get feedback.
Social Media Marketing
Social media is a powerful tool that offers a variety of options for promoting your online pet store.
Popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube are great options to showcase pet supplies to pet parents. It would be beneficial to create a video online, visually presenting the message and sharing it via different platforms.
You can use hashtags such as #petsupplies and #petsupplyproducts to target your relevant audience for your posts regarding your store and products.
Social media platforms help you expand your outreach by spending some amount and boosting advertisements. These advertising campaigns have customizable options for selecting a budget and time to run these ads.
Furthermore, you can join communities or form business pages to reach relevant audiences and promote your products.
Social media marketing can help you increase brand awareness, engage with customers, and drive more traffic to your website.
Capitalize On the Popularity of Influencers
Influencer marketing is a highly popular way to promote your business online, with 93% of marketers using it as a part of their strategy.
This approach can deliver excellent results for your online pet store. By capitalizing on the popularity of a popular influencer who endorses your store and products, you can attract more customers.
Moreover, partnering with someone relevant to the pet industry can attract a larger audience to your pet store. Interestingly, this influencer doesn’t even have to be a human being.
There are many pet animals with massive fan followings on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
By partnering with their pet parents, you can promote your online pet business through their social media handles.
Some popular pet influencers include Nala Cat, Loki the Wolfdog, Venus the Two Faced Cat, Manny the Frenchie, Popeye the Foodie Dog, Doug the Pug, Pooky the Munchkin, and Prissy Pig.
To Sum Up
You don’t have to settle for low sales or limited reach when it comes to your online pet store.
The internet offers you many effective ways to promote your business and attract loyal customers.
All you need is the right platform and the right strategy.
Whether you want to create your own website or sell on a marketplace, you can find an option that fits your budget and needs.
And with the help of digital marketing, you can stand out from the competition and grow your online pet store successfully!
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