Pet Store Advertising
There are over 179 million pet owners in the United States , which collectively own over 337 millions pets. Interestingly enough, there are more pets than there are people (290 million.) The Pet industry expenditures for 2004 are over 34 billion dollars. Up from 17 billion in 1998, that's a growth of over 100%, in just 6 years. As such, the pet industry is larger than the toy industry or the candy industry, making it one of the largest product sales industries. Invest in pet store advertising today, there isnt a better time.
What do all these statistics amount to? Well, with billions spent on pets each year, and as these numbers are dramatically increasing at expediential rates, there is an opportunity for successful pet store owners to expand their market. The most logical and progressive means of expansion is the internet. Advertising your pet store on the internet will increase the exposure and profitablity of your pet store.
Can a website increase your sales? Absolutely: 14% of dog owners, 19% of cat owners, 18% of fish owners, 23% of bird owners, 28% of small animal owners and 34% of reptile owners are searching the internet for information regarding their pets. Where do you want these customers to go for information regarding their pets? A competitor? Advetise your pet store, online, or lose sales.
The time to act is now. As more pet stores establish their websites, they are gaining greater clout on the internet, thus increasing their customer base. A recent client of ours has tripled his sales, over the last 3 months, since his website completion.
He has gained dozens of new repeat customers, and hundreds of prospective customers, which rely on his business website for information. Where do you think they are they going to go when they are ready buy, need supplies or food for their pets?
Isn't there already too much competition, online? With big outfits like Petco and Petsmart, dumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into marketing and website promotion, you would think that they are the largest pet sales companies. This is not true; collectively mom and pop pet stores still dominate the pet industry, with big retailers like petco and petsmart accounting for only 15% of sales.
Likewise, their websites are not optimized for search engine optimization, which tends to leave them out of popular search terms. Also, as 1.9 billion dollars of sales are generated from live pet sales, many retailers haven't utilized the internet as a means of sales for livestock, including these retailers.
Kingsnake.com, among other things, specializes in classified ads for live reptiles. This website generates millions of visitors a month which, subsequently, results in thousands of sales. This market has substantially increased due to the demand for live reptiles to be shipped nationwide.
Can I really increase my sales by shipping animals? Most animals sold in pet stores are not captive breed, i.e. they are wild caught. As such, these animals are shipped from their native born countries to the pet store which are selling them. Just as these animals are shipped worldwide, to their pet store destinations, they can also be shipped nationwide to their new owners, far quicker, safer and cheaper.
Many online customers are looking for products they can't find locally, which is why they are willing to purchase livestock online. Their demand outweighs the supply in their geographical area. Marketing to these customers from around the country will obviously increase your chance of selling more products.
Developing a website sales solution is the most cost effective way to do so.
What type of computer experience is needed? The most successful online sales sites are those that have dedicated resources updating and administering their websites. Obviously, as a small business owner, you may find it overwhelming to maintain a 10,000 page website. We are here to maintain and administer your website, so you can focus on customer service and sales. Your lack of computer experience is superseded by our abundance.
Visit ePet Web today for a free demo of our shopping cart services.
