When the first day of spring rolls in, everything brightens up — the skies clear, the grass is green again, and people come out of their homes to enjoy the beautiful weather.
For pet owners, spring is the perfect time to take pets outdoors and play ball, stroll in the park, or go on a drive together. With so many people out and about, spring is also a great time to bring in potential customers to your local pet store.
However, customer behavior is shifting, and independent pet retailers need to tailor their marketing strategies to customers’ needs and wants. A recent study revealed that almost 90% of shoppers are concerned about inflation affecting the goods they purchase. Nearly 73% said they would consider switching to a different store if offered a discount or coupon. With this in mind, it’s clear that customers are looking for bargains.
For small businesses, it can be difficult to offer the same discounts as chain stores, but there are other ways to both make your business stand out and make customers feel like they’re getting a bargain. Plus, there are lots of holidays during the spring, which offers lots of opportunities for marketing! We’ve made a short spring campaign calendar to inspire your own marketing ideas!
April Events and Marketing Ideas
Easter — April 9
Easter is one of the biggest holidays of the year, especially for shopping. Consumers are estimated to spend $24 billion for Easter in 2023, according to the National Retail Foundation. Believe it or not, pet products make up a good chunk of that number!
Seasonal pet products are all the rage, especially thematic toys shaped like Easter eggs, chicks, sheep, and bunnies. Some pet owners also like to dress up their pets in cute, comfortable Easter dresses and costumes. Make sure not to leave out this holiday in your marketing campaign! Here are two fun ways you can incorporate Easter into your small business marketing:
- Easter Baskets: Offer customers bundled goodies for their pets in a decorative Easter basket! Many pet parents love making and giving Easter baskets to their pets full of treats, small toys, and other pet accessories. Plus, they make for amazing and eye-catching window displays in your store.
- Egg Hunts: Offer pawsome egg hunt kits to potential customers! Curate an egg hunt kit for dogs using large, sturdy plastic egg containers (they should be large enough to not swallow and strong enough not to break) and strong smelling treats hidden inside. For added cuteness, add a pair of dog-sized bunny ears to the package! Dog egg hunts are a popular and fun Easter activity for dog parents, and an egg hunt kit will too cute to pass up.
Earth Day — April 22
Celebrate Earth Day by promoting eco-friendly products online and in-store. Many of the brands we partner with sell products that are biodegradable, sourced responsibly, or made with recyclable materials. Some examples include On Duty Pickup Bags, Earth Rated, Green Juju, and Scratch and Peck Feeds. Not only can you promote buying more earth-friendly products to your customers, but you can also offer them deals and discounts through Astro Loyalty!
Another great way to celebrate Earth Day is to host a (gently) used pet supply drive for local shelters! Instead of getting thrown away, old pet supplies such as toys, towels, blankets, kennels, leashes, and more can be reused by local animal shelters and rescues. Not only will this raise awareness of being more sustainable, but it will also give you more connections in the local community.
World Veterinary Day — April 29
Falling on the last Saturday of April, World Veterinary Day is an important holiday that recognizes the hard work of veterinarians and animal hospital workers all over the world. Veterinarians strive to keep animals and pets healthy, a job that can often be stressful and, at times, heartbreaking. The job of vets goes beyond clinics or hospitals. They often work for the government analyzing the health of slaughterhouse animals, conducting field research, or working in laboratories or zoos.
Aside from recognizing the work and impact of veterinarians on social media platforms, there are lots of other ways you can integrate this holiday into your marketing.
- Stress and burnout are common in the veterinary field, so having a campaign centered around thanking and recognizing them for their efforts could be really impactful.
- You could hold a short speaker event with a local veterinarian talking about their job or little-known aspects of the veterinary field.
- Another way to highlight World Veterinary Day is to promote products sold in your store that are veterinarian created or approved.
National Pet Adoption Day — April 30
During the spring and summer, animal shelters are overwhelmed with cats, dogs, and other pets who desperately need homes. You can partner with local animal shelters and host shelter animal meet and greets! Because you’re partnering with a local shelter, you may also be able to request volunteers to help you run the event, which will help things run much more smoothly.
Divide the adoption events up into several days in a month or week so that one group of animals won’t get all the attention— for example, it may be a good idea to hold a “Puppy Day” and a “Senior Dog Day” separately since puppies tend to hog all the attention at adoption events.
Hosting the event at your store will be a great chance to draw in new and old customers, and it’ll also get you more involved with the local community. Sweeten the deal for potential adoptees by taking advantage of our Sharing the Love program, which gives new pet owners free artisanal pet supplies!
May Events and Marketing ideas
Month of May- Celebrate Spring Cleaning
Spring is a season that signifies rebirth, community, and unity! What better way to welcome in the season than with some store spring cleaning? Mark down old inventory that’s been collecting dust and make an event out of it. You can also offer great discounts through your Astro Offers, which gives exclusive deals to your customers!
If you’re getting rid of old inventory, you may as well clean up the store too, and give it a fresh new look. Have team members rearrange how products are displayed, clean the store, and add new decor. Don’t forget to make a post online encouraging people to come on in and see the store’s new look, as well as get the bargains while they last!
Be Kind to Animals Week — May 1 through 7
Since 1915, this national campaign by American Humane has inspired people all over the country to be kind to animals every day of the year. You can do the same by launching a week-long social media campaign to encourage people to show kindness to animals. Each day’s post can highlight one way to show kindness to animals:
- Adopt from a shelter or rescue
- Buy humanely raised animal products
- Watch movies with “No Animals Were Harmed®” end credit
- Donate money or supplies to a local animal welfare organization
- Help feral cats and dogs by supporting a spay/neuter program or putting out water, food and shelter
- Spoil your pet with homemade or artisan treats
- Keep the kindness going by spreading the message of animal kindness to others
Don’t forget to add #BeKindtoAnimalsWeek to each post. You can also encourage customers to make their own posts with the hashtag. Incentivize them to post with a raffle for goodies or a gift certificate from your pet store!
National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day — May 8
When disasters such as tornados, floods, hurricanes, or earthquakes tear through communities, pets are too often forgotten or an afterthought. Help store visitors and potential customers become more aware of how they can protect and keep their pets safe during a natural disaster by offering emergency for animals, containing items like canned food and bottled water, first aid items, a kennel or carrier for smaller animals, and an information sheet including other personal items they might include, such as a comfort item for the pet or any needed medication.
Mother’s Day — May 14
Whether your customers want to celebrate a mom of the pet or human variety, make sure you’re offering deals and fun merchandise related to the holiday, as Mother’s Day is another one of those days people often spend money on. Offer special Mother’s Day deals through Astro Offers, or put together the ultimate gift guide on social media! To bring people into your store, you could also hold a “Moms Only” evening get-together at your store — of course, they’re welcome to bring their pets!
Astro Loyalty: Seasonal Pet Marketing Done Right!
It’s no small undertaking to manage a small business, especially when it comes to marketing. This spring, get pet-friendly marketing and content delivery with Astro Loyalty. For everything from digital marketing, multi-media templates for your campaigns, access to brands, and other marketing materials, trust Astro Marketing to spark your small business and bring it to new levels of success in the pet community. Want to learn more about how Astro Loyalty can help grow your indie pet store, optimize your marketing strategy, and increase brand loyalty with your customers? Book a demo with us today or find out how you can score a 15-day free trial.
