Tips & Tricks to Start Your Pet Store Loyalty Program
At bLoyal we are privileged to work with many pet stores that span family-run stores to hundreds of location Enterprises globally. During this time, we have assisted and helped create many different marketing strategies, promotions, and membership programs for the pet store industry. And with this expertise, here is a brief overview of what we think you should include in your pet membership programs to increase your customer satisfaction and per order spend.
1) Offer Brand incentivized frequent buyer programs.
Many of the largest pet food brands will carry percentage, $ off, and other category and department level discounts to build loyalty both in-store and online in your web store. Having a loyalty program that can apply for promotions in both your web and brick and mortar locations and that incentivizes repeat purchases is critical to creating a loyal customer base
Some interesting things you can do to make sure your frequent buyer program stands out are:
- Tiers: segments customers into specific groups based on their previous transactions and interactions. From there, you can send tailored offers to each segment. These “targeted communications” are far more likely to be appealing than your standard one-size-fits-all offers.
- Gamification: A recent COLLOQUY study revealed that more than a quarter of millennials remain engaged in a loyalty program purely because of gamification in the form of badges, points, and other competitive elements.
2) Offer next purchase discounts/benefits.
Like simple promotions, many brands also offer buy x get 1 one free programs. These programs encourage long-term brand loyalty and only apply if you have bought a minimum quantity, so they guarantee repeat business. Although it can be challenging to track purchase history across multiple transactions, channels, and locations, bLoyal can help you offer multiple brand frequent buyer programs simultaneously both in-store and online.
Ways to offer these types of benefits:
- Awarded Coupons
- Gift Cards
3) Exchange loyalty points for experiential rewards.
One of the key learnings in marketing research over the past few years is that customers become more loyal through experiential rewards than through discounted products. What does this mean? Customers want to connect with a brand rather than buy cheaper products. With a brick-and-mortar location, you can offer rewards that demonstrate your expertise or show off your facilities. Offer free dog grooming, behavioral classes, free nights at your pet hotel, or anything else that you would want your customers to experience and engender loyalty. With this strategy, you will not only increase the possibility that your customers will come back for more pet food, but they will get to know your in-store services as well, increasing their customer lifetime value and average transaction value.
4) Product Subscriptions.
Pets will always need food, baths, and trips to the vet, so why make your customers repeat the buying process every time they need one of your products or services? During your web check-out process allow customers to add a product to an auto-billing club. A quality subscription platform like bLoyal will allow your customers to select the quantity of their product and the frequency of shipping during the checkout process. Not only will you be providing your customer, with a convenient option, but you are also guaranteeing their business for the near future.
5) Offer recurring billing membership benefits
Would you be able to offer a better customer experience if your customers paid for it? Well, it turns out that many pet owners agree with this sentiment. Amazon revolutionized the membership model with Prime, but in 2022 you can have the same functionality. In exchange for a small monthly membership fee ($10-$20 is the industry average), you can offer benefits across all your sales channels. Offer a discount on certain categories of items, a free dog wash, etc. If you are trying to expand your eCommerce sales, you could also offer free shipping.
6) Track Pet Demographics and Birthdays
Pets are part of the family and should be treated like it. Understanding the type, breed, age, and name of your customers’ pets is essential for your marketing efforts. Offering a birthday treat for that special friend or providing the best care tips for a certain animal or breed are only a few ways that you can communicate to customers about their furry friends.
