A customer walks into your store with a worried look in their eye. Their fish is sick, and while they can’t bring this fish into the vet, they’ve come to the next closest thing: their local fish expert. They want the comfort of talking with someone who understands fish health and wellness, as well as […]
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Saltwater Fish Becoming More Popular Among Hobbyists
For the first time since the American Pet Products Association (APPA) has been keeping track, the saltwater fish category is growing. The most recent survey in 2016 saw an increase to 2.5 million households, up from 1.3 million in 2014. One thing that’s always sure to bring excitement to the saltwater category is the introduction […] Read More →
Offering Maintenance Services can Prolong Customer Relationships
What if there was a way to follow a fishkeeper home after the purchase of an aquarium or fish to help them set things up, get the water quality just right and then check in periodically to make sure the livestock was healthy? Stores that offer aquarium maintenance services have that ability, and the benefits […] Read More →
Decorations Keep Customers Happy, Spur Store Visits
So much of what fishkeepers buy on their regular visit to the pet store is a necessity. Food, water treatments and replacement cartridges for filters are important to keep fish alive and the environment healthy. But it’s the decorations that help keep customers happy and coming back to the store. Whether it’s a treasure chest […] Read More →
GloFish: A Glowing Opportunity
At some point every retailer has wished for a crystal ball. After all, wouldn’t it be great to have the ability to see into the future, to know which new products were going to be long-term best sellers and which ones would just end up collecting dust on the shelves? If someone looked into their […] Read More →
High Tech Lights Now Aquarium Centerpieces
Things are changing in the world of lighting, and these days, the pace of change is pretty fast. It all started with the advent of LED lighting, which brought big changes to the aquarium industry. At first, change was slow, and the cost of LEDs when they were first introduced made the products out of […] Read More →
Differentiation is Key in the Freshwater Category
When customers walk into B&B Pet Stop in Mobile, Alabama, they’re immediately mesmerized by the wall of fish tanks full of moving color. The store boasts 17 different 240-gallon systems and three 135-gallon display tanks that are teeming with neons, sword tails, rasboras, African cichlids and countless other fish. Owner Bill Trufant has made his […] Read More →
Aquarium Cleaning Made Clear
Unless you’re operating a 24-hour business, common practice in retail is to save the chores of vacuuming, sweeping and taking out the trash to the hours where the establishment is closed for customers. After all, it seems in a retailer’s best interest to put the best face forward and let customers see a store that […] Read More →
Lovely Aquatic Livestock
For those customers who are always on the lookout for something new, challenging and different, independent retailers have a unique advantage. The ability to stock specialty equipment and new types of livestock, combined with personal service and customer education, makes stores ripe for differentiation. And one way to do that is to expand beyond fish […] Read More →
