The adoption of eCommerce is becoming popular in pet retail markets making traditional brands and businesses hop into the omnichannel mode. While the characteristic doles of eCommerce will continue to entice customers to buy online, omnichannel adoption will allow retailers to offer the best of both worlds (online and offline shopping) to customers.
In the pursuit of doing something at par with the best industry standards, it is important to look up to leading market brands, learn valuable lessons, and improvise as per unique business requirements. With its roots dating back to 1987, PetSmart is an American pet superstore chain brand. This blog highlights how pet retail businesses can formulate and improve their omnichannel strategies keeping PetSmart as a role model and emphasising both fundamentals and innovation.
Click-and-Collect with Inventory-Aware Search
PetSmart uses something called ‘inventory-aware search’. When a customer looks for a product on the eCommerce site of PetSmart, the website gives the option of finding a nearby store. This means that the customer will be shown the store that has the sought product in stock. Inventory-aware search helps businesses deliver a more meaningful customer shopping experience. It could also be possible that a product may not be available in any nearby store. In such a case, PetSmart gives the options of regular delivery and same-day delivery. This feature highlights the significance of linking real-time inventory data with the eCommerce platform helping deliver a superior omnichannel shopping experience to customers.
Order Tracking – Something Routine but Needs Attention
Order tracking may sound like a run-of-the-mill feature of any eCommerce site but many fail to deliver it right. If you are accustomed to using Amazon’s order tracking feature, you might have very little to complain about. Getting this feature right is so important otherwise it can deliver a frustrating user experience. Many eCommerce websites do not provide the order tracking details on the same page. Instead, the page takes the users to the website of the 3PL partner. Sometimes customers do not even get the order number that must be copied for checking on the website of the 3PL partner. When it comes to user experience, Pet Smart’s eCommerce website exhibits impressive, world-class standards.
Extensive Network of Stores
PetSmart has an extensive store presence in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico clocking at over 1680 stores and grooming salons. The higher the number of stores, the higher the chances of customers finding one closer to where they are located. This boosts the omnichannel performance of PetSmart. Omnichannel is the coming together of online and offline channel capabilities. While an app or a website can be accessed from anywhere over the internet to make many vital features of omnichannel work, you will need a physical store in proximity.
Having a large network of stores/fulfilment centres also aids in faster order fulfilment both for delivery and collection. The shorter the distance between customer and store, the higher the potential for customers reaching a store for collection or a business reaching out for home delivery.
Shorter distances between customers and businesses also have economic advantages in the form of reduced transportation costs for both. With inventory management done right, businesses also experience reduced holding costs and improved inventory turnover.
Shorter distances also create room for faster return pickups and replacement deliveries. In the event of stock shortages or meeting any temporary demand, the store-to-store transfer is another big advantage of having stores in proximity.
As experienced omnichannel business consultants, YRC maintains that a higher number of stores also allow brands to deploy personalisation campaigns and strategies in a more localised manner. The same could not be said for brands with a lesser number of stores because they would have to restrict themselves to a more general level of personalisation.
Service Offerings
In pet business consulting, YRC has observed that the demand among pet owners quickly escalates from pet food and other products to services like training, grooming, boarding, and veterinary care. This provides a strong reason for customers to physically visit PetSmart stores. Even though the service offerings at PetSmart may vary from store to store, PetSmart always has the scope of adding services as per local market requirements. Also, PetSmart’s extensive store network gives a big boost to its service delivery component. This whole thing serves as a bridge connecting the online and offline channel capabilities leading to a more fulfilling omnichannel customer experience.
PetSmart also offers two noble services – pet adoption and pet charities. This gives PetSmart unshakeable goodwill. It allows people who are not even pet owners a platform and an opportunity to contribute to animal welfare. PetSmart would know how many people just go for charity and leave with a pet in their arms!
In addition to the points discussed in this blog, pet business enthusiasts must also focus on aspects like localisation and franchising. For example, customers in the Middle East may seek halal pet food.
Achieving pet retail business expansion in the Middle East is never easy. Big cities like Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, and Kuwait City offer fiercely competitive market scenarios. The key to success largely depends on the quality of innovation while adhering to the business fundamentals.
About Your Retail Coach
YRC is a retail and eCommerce consulting brand with a growing international presence. With more than ten years of experience, YRC has worked with over 500 clients in more than 25 verticals with a triumph ratio of 95%.
To speak to a professional pet business consultant, feel free to drop us a message and we will shortly reach out to you.