Given the overwhelming impact that convenience now has on consumers’ purchasing decisions, can pet retailers really afford to wait for customers to come into the store to pick up a bag of pet food?

Today’s pet owners have so many options when shopping for pet products, many of which are probably more convenient—not to mention less expensive—than taking a trip to their local pet store, even if it is right around the corner. This applies to all bulky items including bedding, cages and aquariums.

The arrival of Amazon, including into the pet industry, means a network of distribution centres offering same-day delivery (in many places) for pet food brands sitting on your shelf.

But it’s not just online players. Pet Retail Chains have added or enhanced their own home-delivery services to compete on convenience. Most retail and veterinary chains carry most, if not all, of the same brands that you stock—and have amped up their home delivery services.

Home delivery will rapidly become the norm.  Pet Clients will make the association between “retail going places” and home delivery or “click and collect”. There is no excuse for any pet retailer—regardless of their size—to not offer home delivery, or at least “click and collect”  for their customers. In fact, not only should you offer this service, you should go above and beyond to make sure that every customers understands that it is an option.

It’s all part of the main competitive strength of small pet retailers—customer service. Isn’t making a pet owners’ hectic life just a little bit easier by saving them a trip to the shop a part of that?

Adapted, from Pet Business News 18/10/17