dogs comfortable while regulating body temperature
and cushioning joints,” Morgan said. “It also wicks away
moisture, pulling it from a dog in the same way synthet-
ic materials keep our own activewear dry and comfort-
able. There are no seams for puppies to pull apart, and
its 2-inch thick, double-sided design means it can be
washed endlessly without clumping, springing back to
provide superior support and comfort.”
Most retailers believe that nothing works as well as
“show and tell”—merchandising that helps consumers
envision the products at work.
INDUSTRY VOICES
How do you get important information in
“For instance, set up an in-store dog crate to showcase
different crate mats at work,” Morgan said. “Or allow
your sales staff to function as unofficial ;testers,; taking
products home to both use and familiarize themselves
with [them].”
front of customers?
COLORS, STYLES AND MATERIALS
ON DISPLAY
There is no shortage of bed types to choose from, and if
a shopper is looking for a particular style or design, they
will likely find it. ;ut the challenge remains marrying
that style with superior manufacturing quality and long-term durability.
Odyssey Pets showcases beds on two 4-foot baker’s racks
packed to the gills, plus it has a large wire dump bin with
smaller beds in it, Redwine said.
With the endless options online and in-store, customers also are becoming more discerning about picking out
specific styles and designs to match their home d;cor.
;ased on feedback he;s received from retailers, ;ar-sons said that stacking of beds, especially by size, has
always been successful.
Rectangular beds are always more popular, Parsons
said, as well as original, unique patterns that shoppers
can;t find easily in mass;market retailers. In addition,
customers are always looking for nontoxic and safe materials because pets can spend several hours a day on
their beds.
“Alternating colors or stacking a single color looks
great and creates a focal piece in your shop,” he said.
“We understand that retailers want to have a mix of
brands and bedding types in their store, but we recom-
mend when showcasing a stack of beds to be consistent
and stick to one brand in order to make a strong, cohesive
impression and give shoppers a quick look at all of the
sizes available.”
Pup IQ offers several product lines that focus on dif-
ferent styles, segments and issues a pet owner might face.
“Our products are designed to be a permanent part of
the home, not tucked away in some laundry room,” he
said. ;;ecause of that, we like to build products that utilize
soft earth tones that are neutral. We do have some more
trendy colors and designs as part of our Posh Pup line that
utilizes a lot of blues like teals and navy. ;e use minky
cuddle fabrics and buttery-soft suede with our beds.”
Most important, buying a bed is a tactile experience,
so it is crucial that beds are within easy reach of the
customer, allowing them to touch and feel the product
while considering a purchase.
Concord Pet Food & Supplies has a bed wall, and
when a brand’s beds are on special, it creates a bed stack-out so that the beds will pop a little more and have a
secondary location to the wall, Davidson said.
With beds taking up such a large footprint in-store, it
can be a challenge to display beds, which is why a lot of
stores keep extra stock in the back and only put a couple
of sizes or styles on display.
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“For some of the smaller companies, we put out signage that describes the company and the care that went
into manufacturing the bed—people like to know who
they’re buying from and why that bed is special,” Davidson said.
