RETAIL ADVICE | PET GAZETTE | 37
RETAIL ADVICE
Getting ready for the seasonal change
R
etailers! Don’t get caught out by the common mistakes
made as the seasons change. As the year progresses
as do the buying habits of your customers. It is that
age old balance between enough stock to meet
demand and not leaving yourself with items you, at
best have to leave a year before you can approach selling again.
It may seem like common sense and on paper it is, but I still see many
stores that don’t get their seasonal change right and as a result are
reducing their sales opportunities and potentially crippling their margin.
Planning ahead is your key to success here. It is impossible to know
exactly what your customers want to buy from you but you can give
yourself a fi ghting chance by addressing the seasonal items you carry.
In many small independent pet stores, space is a premium. Make
sure everything has a place, a price and is relevant to the time of year.
Don’t forget your seasonal add on sales near the till point or on clip
strips. They will boost your turnover throughout the year and even
small price items can add up to a tidy sum over 12 months.
Chances are you don’t want to be stuck with last season’s stock if
you are not on a sale or return. Below are some of the main categories
to check as we move from autumn to winter.
Human fashion or practical clothing wear – You may well be able
to move items such as t shirts and light coats out to the stock room
for safe keeping until next year. All you need to worry about here is
keeping them clean and dry and rodent protected. If you have room
then this could be the most cost-effective option. For fashion items
then you pretty much have to have the items cleared before the new
season lands. This is something to discount and get out of your store
unless the items will sell under the practical clothing banner next year.
Dog fashion, in most cases will store until the season comes around
again.
Food – In the pet industry you are unlikely to see a change in buying
habits for general day to day food but you will see a step up in treats,
edible presents, boredom busters, pet bedding and forage. I will
add that wild bird seed and fat balls are a huge seller when the
temperature drops. If you have not considered this as part of your add
on sales to increase your basket spend then you are missing out.
Let’s look at the key dates as we head towards to dark cold nights:
Oct – Feb: Dark after work – Fluro or light up accessories, dog coats,
spritzers, shampoo, toys and boredom busters. gloves, pocket hand
warmers, torches, bird seed, forage and bedding and protective hutch
covers.
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31 Oct: Halloween – Great for children’s competitions or events, pet
costumes and general engagement around your brand and store.
Around this time to central heating will go on and we see fl eas start to
appear. Be ready to educate your customers so they keep up to date
with their treatments.
5 Nov: Fireworks night – Calmers and plug ins for anxious pets.
These should be sold well in advance of the day as many have to
be used for several weeks before. Organise your social media, team
training and stock to be well prepared for the increase in demand.
Nov/Dec: Build up to Christmas – Gifts for pets, new bedding, toys
and coats to name but a few.
Once you have a plan it is just a case of making sure the rest of
your team knows it, phasing old out, launching the new and onto a
cracking winters sales. Don’t forget, before your new cold weather
order lands, do a stock rotate and clean.
Just to summarise. Review your current seasonal stock levels before
the season actually changes. Give yourself plenty of time to multibuy or
discount or promote items that you will not want to store over winter.
Make sure you keep your whole team informed too so they know the
priority items and can help to sell them before demand is reduced.
There is always the discount option to get stock moved if you can’t
store it. A solid plan ahead and understanding of buying patterns
should help minimise and losses or margin drops. Don’t forget to
update your website as well as your actual shop when the season
changes. Happy selling!
Nicola has spent the last 13 years
working in the pet retail industry
and is the founder of Ravensford
Consultancy Ltd, a company
dedicated to helping business in the
pet trade.
Please feel free to contact her at
Ravensford Consultancy for help
and inspiration around boosting
sales for your pet related business.
[email protected] or 07770 546275
October 2018