MANAGING
CHANNEL CHANGES
Read how fellow members manage channel changes
Pawsitively Scrumptious - April Meier I help the customer by knowing what other brands are in the marketplace (or in my store) that meet the specific needs of their pets. Most likely it may even be a superior product and by educating the consumer it is possible to move them to another brand.
A New York State retailer We listen to their needs, suggest alternatives based on inventory and offer to special order if possible
Home Towne Pet Shoppe - Sam D'Angelo Ownership provides staff direction on brands that are strategic partners. We closely choose several manufacturers that meet our food and nutrition standards and support our business goals and growth.
Mike's Feed Farm - Ron Goldsmith We try to offer products that are either exclusive to our store or save our customers money. Unfortunately, with everyone having a smart phone or access to the internet, having products at relatively competitive prices is more difficult. We strive to offer the best possible customer service and experience to increase customer retention.
Garden State Pet Center - Victor Santucci When a brand no longer aligns with our values—whether due to shifting into big box, undermining indie pricing, or sacrificing quality—we make it a priority to help our customers transition confidently and comfortably. At Garden State Pet Center, our staff is trained not just to sell, but to listen and educate. When a customer's favorite brand has changed direction, we take the time to learn why they loved it—whether it was the ingredient panel, pet response, budget, or brand mission. From there, we match them with better-aligned alternatives that meet their pet’s needs without compromising our standards as an independent retailer. We focus on brands that: 1. Support the independent channel with fair MAP policies and retailer-exclusive lines 2. Prioritize transparency, integrity, and sourcing 3. Offer high-quality nutrition and stand behind their products Our team keeps up with formulation changes, recalls, and corporate buyouts, so we can give honest, informed guidance. We never just say “here’s what’s next”—we explain the “why”, show side-by-side comparisons, and often offer free samples or incentives to ease the switch. Ultimately, our goal is to protect the trust our customers place in us and the wellbeing of their pets—not just move product. And when we show up with that kind of care and expertise, our customers understand and appreciate the shift.
Paleo Pet Goods - Christine Dawson We transition our customers proactively to indie focused brands that meet their’s and their pets’ needs. We do this to ensure that pets are being fed species appropriate foods based on our high quality and transparency curation standards and to protect the business from revenue loss.
Cole Valley Pets - Rikke Cox Here’s how I see it—we have two choices. We can keep resisting and stay analog, or we can dive in and harness our collective power in the online marketplace. The truth is, brands are making far more money through direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales. I recently spoke with a brand that shared their DTC channel accounts for 90% of their revenue, while in-store wholesale is less than 10%. That makes us irrelevant. It may already be too late for small independent shops, but we still have an opportunity to leverage our customer base both online and in-store. Right now, we’re just a launchpad for small brands that leave us the moment profit margins tell them to. That’s why I’m building www.PetShop.org—a free online platform for independent pet stores. Our customers love us and want to support us, but we need to offer the convenience of online shopping and doorstep delivery. This platform works like www.BookShop.org, ensuring a percentage of sales goes back to the referring brick-and-mortar store. But I going to need the help of IndiePet to make it happen. With a PetShop.org we could give brands a choice: join our online store and share a percentage of sales, or risk losing shelf space in our physical stores.
CB Pet Market - Claudia Loomis We identify closely aligned brands within the category and do a sku by sku comparison- often times creating a cheat sheet for store staff- if customer is feeding x, then y is a very good replacement. Also, we do not immediately ditch brands that abandon the Indie channel. We sku rationalize and we slowly convert customers.
Earthwise Pet-Matthews - Megan Cornwell We remove the brands from our store and find our customers a similar, but better alternative.