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Caitlyn Mendonca

Caitlyn Mendonca

A Good Eye-Catching Display Helps Boost Sales in Your Pet Business

When a customer enters your pet retail store their first impression will be based on what strikes them visually. Displays play an important role in nurturing the customer experience in your pet business. Having interesting and eye catching displays will immediately make your store stand out from your competitors. A great display may make a customer stop and take notice of a product they do not typically buy. Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out how to make a display look like more than just products laid out on a table or sitting on some shelves. Oftentimes the simpler the display design idea the greater the impact it will have. 

Whether it is a new customer or a loyal customer returning for their regular bi-weekly visit, the displays in your store can introduce customers to new products, call attention to promotions, and in turn help boost your sales. Displays are also a good opportunity to have some fun and get creative. If you are not sure where to begin take some inspiration from these eye-catching display ideas retailers have already had success with!

Color Code To Capture Attention

Arranging product based on the color of their packaging is a simple yet visually impactful way for you to display a multitude of products. This type of display is super easy to pull together and the versatility allows you as a busy retailer to save time all while making your store look great. Just think, there are seven colors of the rainbow which means you have seven display options to use through out the year. If you consider rainbows their own color then they are actually eight displays you can do! 

Bentley's Pet Stuff in Excelsior, MN did a great job of pulling together everything green for a fun and simple St. Patrick's Day display that definitely made some pets feel lucky. 

Although color coding is a great display idea on its own it could be even better if you were to pair it with a holiday or specific event. Consider pulling pink and red product out for Valentine’s day or green for St. Patrick’s day. This is a great way to celebrate holidays in your store without incurring additional costs on props or decorations. 

Make a Scene

Displays can be a great way to introduce and sell customers new products but sometimes simply putting product out will not be enough they may need a bit of a demonstration. In this case you can get creative and use a product as the center of a certain idea or theme. This will involve some planning, so put your customer hat to pick a story  that would appeal to your customers and most importantly that they would understand.

You may need some props and decorations to help pull your scene together. If you can, try to make sure that the props you get can be reused for other scenes or events so that you can get a better return on your purchases. Check local donation store or yard sales to find great low priced items for your displays. Once you have the necessary props you can start building some fun and interesting displays whenever you choose.

Pet Food Warehouse in Burlington, VT created this amazing scene to promote their annual raw sale. 

Here's an idea, consider helping pet parents get ready for colder weather by creating a cute outdoor scene with some fake snow and a dog stuffed animal in a warm winter coat. A display like, or one for every season, will definitely catch the eye of the passerby customer and hopefully, they will pick up some product and add it to their basket.

Unique and Upcycled Displays

Sometimes it isn’t about the product you choose or the props you use as much as it is about what you are putting the products on. The vessel for your display like the shelving, counter, or table you choose to use can be a statement in of itself. Unique display vessels can be anything that is not typically found in a retail store.

Check out your local antique store, flea market, or stop by a yard sale when you see one and you might just find something amazing for your store! Old discarded items with built in shelving like an old china cabinet can be lightly refurbished and used to create a statement display. 

Paddywack in Mill Creek, WA has a red wagon they have branded the "Paddy Wagon" that they use as a unique display vessel for toys in their pet store.

'Tis the Season for Displays

Seasonally themed displays are a great way to sell product that is relevant to your customer at a specific moment during the year. As you may already know there are five important seasons to celebrate through out the year; winter, spring, summer, fall, and of course the holiday season!

There are plenty of opportunities to celebrate throughout the year with a seasonal display. You can pull together seasonally appropriate products for holidays like Halloween, Fourth of July, Easter, the list goes on. Add some fun decorations and you will definitely make a beautiful display that customers will be sure to stop at. 

The Soggy Doggy Shop in Wexford, PA created this super cute window display for Fall with everything pumpkin for all the pumpkin spice latte lovers out there.

Make Signage A Sales Partner

As a retailer, in-store signage are helpful silent sales partners. Signs throughout your store can be used to persuade and inform customers to buy products when you or your employees are not there to do so. Signage can turn an ordinary display into a real attention grabber. Whether the display is permanent or not you can us a sign to help sell your product. 

The signage you use does not necessarily need to be a permanent fixture like you can see below. Small tabletop chalkboard signs and larger chalk a-frames can be used again and again for displays around your store. By using chalk markers, you or a talented employee can unleash their inner artist and make informative signs look amazing.

Hound and Cat in Draper, UT has used signage as a persuasive decoration on their simple baked treat display.

Build Your Customer's Basket  

Displays can be a great way to build your customer's basket, especially if you center the display idea around doing exactly that. You can make a display interactive by providing customers with a promotion where they have to fill a basket or bag with product and whatever they can fit inside will be sold at a discounted rate. Promotions like this are a fun opportunity for pet parents to spoil their pet with some new goodies they may not have tried before! 

Notorious D.O.G. in Clarence, NY created this interactive display for Halloween that encourages to customers "trick or treat" and build their baskets for a discount.

Are You Feeling Inspired?

You can use displays like these to express the personality of your store all while promoting the best products for the pets in your community . Whether the display is permanent or only a temporary display they are key in building a customers basket and helping them learn more about everything you have to offer. Get creative with your displays, be bold, and in return you will catch the eye of every customer and pet that comes wagging through your doors.

What do you think is the key to a good display? Let us know in the comments below! 

About Caitlyn Mendonca

Caitlyn Mendonca is a Pet Food Experts Marketing team member and has been working in the pet industry for almost 7 years. She has always loved all animals scaly, feathered, and furry. She loves spending time cuddling with her kitty Edgar. Caitlyn is a true Rhode Island native who is always down for chowdah and clam cakes with a side of ice-cold coffee milk!

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