With 1600+ stores in North America, PetSmart has marked itself as the retailer of choice when it comes to selling well-groomed pets, along with a variety of essential products and services for pet owners.
Given the success PetSmart has achieved, it is natural to wonder about the factors that have enabled it to thrive and grow. Read on to discover what I’ve found out about PetSmart’s competitive advantages!
PetSmart Competitive Advantages
1. Sells In-Demand Pet Products
PetSmart is the largest specialty pet retailer in the United States due to its range of ethical products and ability to cater to the demand of its consumers.
Trends in pet ownership have witnessed the demand for prescription and premium pet goods growing, and PetSmart has capitalized on this to provide a range of such products to consumers.
In addition, PetSmart also offers food, toys, treats, and other services in its stores, all in one location, to satisfy its customers.
2. A Range Of Locations
With over 1600 stores in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico, PetSmart continues to thrive because it is so easily accessible to customers.
PetSmart stores are often strategically located beside other mass merchandisers in commercial facilities and are quite accessible from the main streets, attracting a large number of visitors.
Other than stores, PetSmart also has 200 Hotel Facilities that are operational to provide quality day-care and boarding to a range of animals.
Through additional facilities like this, PetSmart is able to maximize profits and build a reputation with its customers for caring about their animals.
3. Lifetime Commitment
PetSmart operates with the ethos of providing goods and services for pets and owners for life.
This means that PetSmart aims to be the central location to provide all the necessary supplies pet owners need for their animals, guaranteeing return customers.
Since all their merchandise and services are available under one roof, all customers’ needs are met, and so there is less need to use competitive retailers.
4. Store Structure
The pet retail giant’s stores are strategically structured to lead customers to believe that PetSmart is an expert in the field.
By stocking various products in the manner they do, PetSmart has a psychological effect on customers that makes them think they’re buying the best products.
In this way, PetSmart continues to grow its reputation as a leading expert in pet care, which enables its continued success.
5. Understanding Owners
PetSmart has cultivated its brand to tailor toward owners who want to treat their pets like children.
It offers rewards systems, grooming, and hotel services in-store, as well as retail products to help pet owners find everything they need under one roof at PetSmart.
Understanding that owning an animal is a lifetime commitment for customers, PetSmart provides high-quality food, toys, and other essentials for the entire duration.
6. Variety Of Products
PetSmart aims to cater to premium, niche, and mass retail customers within one location to negate the need for customers to visit their competitors.
It is estimated that PetSmart offers around 11,000 different products in its stores, with an additional 10,000 products available online.
The ability to provide specialty pet care to customers with a diverse variety of products helps PetSmart remain one of the leading retailers around.
7. Variety Of Services
Along with offering high-quality pet products for purchase, PetSmart tailors to pet owners by providing a variety of other services in-store.
These include veterinary services, training, grooming, daycare, and boarding for a range of furry friends.
PetSmart also advocates for adoption by working with local charities and organizations to re-home unwanted or abandoned animals.
As part of this initiative, the company hosts adoption days in-store and has several links on its website to connect owners with animals to adopt.
The dedication of PetSmart to animals helps to build a relationship with its customer base and consolidate its reputation as leading pet care experts.
8. Return Customers
PetSmart’s dedication to being accessible to customers for life helps to maximize its repeat customers.
By providing various services and desired products in its stores, PetSmart guarantees the return of its customers buying their products.
Additionally, PetSmart also offers excellent deals on pet care, such as bulk sizes of pet food. Because of this, PetSmart can outperform other competitive retailers, establishing itself as a pet care expert.
9. Loyalty Programs
To further ensure repeat customers, PetSmart offers rewards programs to incentivize customers.
These include 8 points for every $1 spent in PetSmart stores or online, as well as free treats. Other than that, PetSmart also offers a free surprise on your pet’s birthday.
Using rewards programs like these that encourage customers to visit their stores and spend heavily, PetSmart can guarantee a customer base that fulfills its ethos of supplying customers for life.
To learn more about how PetSmart operates its company, you can get an inside look at where PetSmart gets its animals from, the PetSmart dress code, when PetSmart restocks, and if PetSmart drug tests its employees.
Conclusion
PetSmart has established its brand as a leading expert in pet care and the one-stop-shop for animal lovers who want to spoil their furry friends.
The retail chain offers a wide variety of products for sale and extends stores to provide customers with additional services such as veterinary, grooming, and boarding.
By doing this, PetSmart has successfully marketed itself as the leading pet care brand with rewards programs and various products and services under one roof.
