fbpx

A Spritz Here, A Spritz There

Maggie Marton//May 5, 2014//

A Spritz Here, A Spritz There

Maggie Marton //May 5, 2014//

Listen to this article

While many pet owners schedule routine grooming sessions, in-between care keeps a dog’s coat and skin healthy.

To make between-visits care more convenient, pet owners purchase sprays and wipes that are quick and effective. Many groomers have found these same products to be a perfect fit for retail, as well.

“Pet parents are looking for convenience and legitimate value,” Dave Campanella, sales and marketing director for Best Shot Pet Products, said. “Waterless spray products are perfect for between baths and those unexpected messes and odors that spring up at the most inopportune times.”

Best Shot manufactures two products that fit the bill. Campanella recommends ONE SHOT when it’s too cold to bathe a dog, or when a customer needs a quick fix for an odor or mess.

“All one needs to do is spray the area of concern, then wipe with a cloth to lift the dirt and debris,” he said. “It’s even effective with urine and fecal messes.”

The other product, Ultra Vitalizing Mist Spray, adds shine, detangles fur and moisturizes dry skin between baths.

At Wet Noses in Sarasota, Fla., Christine Baer utilizes the line of organic products from Mutt Nose Best.

“They have a great product,” she said. “It’s very pure, and they sell the matching sprays to the shampoo. For those clients that can’t come any sooner than six to eight weeks, I sell the shampoo and the in-between sprays.”

She suggests to her clients to spritz their dog or the brush, and then comb the dog between appointments.

Make It Easy

For most customers seeking these types of products, it’s all about convenience. As Lonnie Schwimmer, president of Nootie pointed out, the primary reason customers use a between-bath spray or wipe is time.

“It is much faster to spray your dog than go through the entire process of a bath,” Schwimmer said, adding that Nootie’s Daily Spritz line of grooming products are its top sellers. “They moisturize and condition the pet’s coat. The fragrance is a bonus-added value to our products.”

Similarly, pet owners can purchase wipes designed for a specific purpose, like Angels’ Eyes wipes for tear stains. There are numerous general-purpose wipes as well, like Organic Oscar’s Organic Aloe Vera Pet Wipes, which are unscented and multiuse pet wipes that the brand markets for eyes, ears, paws and butts.

W.F. Young’s Absorbine pet line includes a mix of general-purpose between-bath sprays and functional products. The Bath in a Bottle and Detangler & Conditioner for Dogs both serve to keep the pet’s coat clean and odor-free between grooming sessions. The brand’s Stain Remover & Whitener and Hot Spot Sprays serve specific purposes, cleaning stains and healing hot spots, respectively, in-between grooming sessions.

At Woofers Grooming & Goodies, a grooming salon and retail store in Spanaway, Wash., owner Lyn Borcherding uses, and recommends, a waterless spray.

“We love Bio-Groom Waterless Bath Spray,” Borcherding said. “We use it in our groom shop and sell it in our retail store. We offer anal-gland expression as a walk-in service, and we freshen up the dogs with this product before returning them to their owner.”

Make the Sale

Beyond functions like moisturizing and removing odors, groomers can use scented sprays as an upsell, Schwimmer said.

“The great thing about Nootie’s Daily Spritz is that it helps with marketing and can even be monetized,” he said. “Let’s say the groomer uses our Japanese Cherry Blossom fragrance shampoo. Then, before they dry the pet they use the same fragrance Daily Spritz; the fragrance lasts almost twice as long. Also, groomers that have a higher-end clientele ask their customers if they would like to pick one of our fragrances, for an extra charge, before their pet gets groomed.”

Likewise, Steve Nicolosi, national sales manager for Glo-Marr Products, Inc., said that between-bath products make for a natural sale. Glo-Marr offers several medicated sprays designed for in-between bathing to retain the natural moisture in the dog’s coat and skin.

“All of our medicated shampoos have medicated sprays that go along with them,” he said. “For example, our oatmeal/baking soda also has an oatmeal/baking soda spray, our Emu oil shampoo also has a sister spray and so on. Not only are these sister sprays beneficial to the pet, but they can also be a great add-on sale for the store’s owner or groomer.”

In her salon, Baer recommends between-bath to her clients.

“We buy the big-gallon format for the groom room, and then we also have retail sizes for our clients so that they can keep up with their grooming between appointments,” she said.

In addition to creating an extra revenue stream for groomers, encouraging dog owners to utilize between-bath products makes the groomer’s job easier at subsequent visits.

“The pet is happier, the owner is happier, and the groomer is happier,” Nicolosi said. “A win-win for everyone.”