Recent Articles from John Mack
Finding Support from Companion Animals
In these strange days of stay-at-home orders and restricted travel, it seems like nearly everyone has contemplated bringing in a new member of the family. Adoptions for pets have been on the rise since the first shelter-in-place orders have been issued; Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Human Society of the United States, was […]
The Year of Reptile Products
You have likely already taken stock of the past year in the hopes of finding out what’s working best for your store and what improvements can be made this year. With so many options out there, finding sure-fire “wins” for your store becomes a job in and of itself. The popularity of reptiles and amphibians within […]
Recap, Musings on Growing Reptile Interest
As the days grow short and the nights grow long, as the Christmas lights start popping up across rooftops and as holiday shoppers start hunting for that perfect gift, it’s high time that those of us in the pet industry raise a well-earned glass in celebration. Here at Reptiles by Mack, 2019 held an outright explosion […]
Pet Industry Update and What’s Ahead
With 2019 coming to a close and a new year on the horizon, now marks a great time to look back at the various accomplishments we’ve made as an industry over the year. And while it might be appealing to look solely at the burgeoning market for pets and the increase in both demand and […]
Rising Tide Conservation Making Waves in Industry
The role of advocacy organizations in the pet industry has been paramount to the industry’s overall expansion in the past decade. Pet advocacy groups provide critical information to would-be pet owners, provide support to retailers and breeders and provide a one-stop-shop for anyone interested in a given type of pet. There are several organizations, such […]
BEAK: Spotlight on Bird Ownership Needs
In many of our past articles, we’ve mentioned PIJAC (the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council) as a potential resource for both store owners and for would-be pet owners. Now, we’ll admit to some bias here—we’ve long had an affiliation with PIJAC, and I currently sit as vice chair for their board of directors—but the technology […]
The Right Attitude for Pet Ownership
We’ve spoken at length in the past on the importance of pairing the right customer with the right pet at the right time. A positive sale, and the relationship that hopefully results from it, means linking a customer with the pet that fits their lifestyle, temperament and level of knowledge for those pets. And, despite […]
Setting the Standard for Care
We all love animals; we wouldn’t be in the pet business if we didn’t. The love we have for animals always manifests first in our daily treatment of them, whether breeder, wholesaler, store owner or customer. Health and happiness for our animals should always be our highest priority. It’s that level of caring that led Reptiles […]
Tips on Live Animal Care
Rewind your mind back to the ’90s for a moment. Two of the biggest fads were those Magic Eye posters, which held a three-dimensional image hidden within a seemingly random distorted pattern, and the Where’s Waldo series of books, wherein the titular red-and-white-clad traveler hid within vast landscapes of cartoonish ridiculousness. If nothing else, children […]
Demand for Herps Steadily Increasing
The boom in reptiles has been a great benefit for pretty much everyone involved in the pet trade. Breeders have benefited from the increased demand in reptiles, pet owners have been able to enjoy new breeds, colorations and morphs, and store owners have reaped the profits of both reptile sales and the sale of so […]
Benefits of Face-to-Face Trade Shows
With Global Pet Expo taking place this month, I thought it timely to discuss one aspect of the reptile business and the role of trade shows and conventions within the industry. While the digital revolution has modernized the way we communicate from supplier to wholesaler to store to customer, the importance of face-to-face events in […]
It Starts with a Pet from Quality Breeders
More than anything else, we all share one common passion within the pet industry: we love animals. Whether breeder or retailer, owner or seller, we’ve found ourselves in this industry because we treasure those relationships between a person and their pet. Legendary pet products manufacturer Rolf Hagen Inc. may have said it best on their […]