8 Questions To Ask Yourself When Starting An Online Pet Store

Deciding to open your own online business is a big decision, and it should not be one you proceed forward with unless you give it significant thought. With that said, running your own company can also be very rewarding. If you have decided to start an online pet store business, there can be many upsides to doing so, but success does not come without work. To start, ask yourself some questions to help focus your planning. 

1. How Should I Sell Pet Supplies?

After you have committed to the idea of opening an online pet shop, you need to figure out how you want to approach selling your merchandise. If you intend on having standard organization and processing for inventory transactions, it could be a smart move to invest in pet supply store POS software that gives you a clear picture of everything in your shop.

2. What Pet Supplies Should I Sell?

Before you can create your inventory list, however, you need to figure out what you want to sell. Maybe you know you want to sell pet supplies, but you have no clue where to start. If so, then taking a trip to a few of your local in-person pet stores can be a good way to ignite some inspiration. You can also browse online pet catalogs for ideas.

3. Should I Specialize or Generalize?

When thinking about what types of pet supplies to offer online, another question worth asking yourself is whether you want to specialize or generalize with your merchandise. If you go in a general direction, you have the flexibility of selling supplies for a wide variety of pets, but if you specialize you can sell a wide variety of items for your favorite kind of pets. 

4. What Skills Do I Need To Run an Online Pet Shop?

With any type of business ownership, there are some skills you should acquire first. Of course, customer service should be a top priority, but you also need to think about communication, business management, organization and finances. Because you intend to sell online, you also need to consider web design skills. If you lack any of these skill sets, think about how you can hire help or learn.

5. What Are the Top Needs of Pet Store Customers?

Speaking of customer service, the needs of your consumers should always be top of your mind. With pet supplies, there are many different needs that a customer might have. For example, someone with a sick pet might be looking for medicine whereas someone with a new kitten or puppy might be looking for toys or food bowls. Find out who your target audience and what those consumers need.

6. What Type of Legalities Should I Consider?

With any type of business startup, you need to also consider your legal structure. The main reason for this is due to taxation, but it can also help you with planning.  For example, do you want to run your company solo as a sole proprietorship, or do you plan on working with at least one or two other individuals? The answers to these questions can help you decide on a possible partnership or corporation, too. 

7. Should I Create My Own Website?

Going back to the thought about necessary skill sets, figuring out how you want to approach your company’s website should be another top concern. As an online shop, you need to create a site that is not only attractive and useful, but you should also ensure that it loads quickly and does not cause any issues for visitors when they try to browse the content. Hiring a pro is strongly recommended. 

8. Why Do I Want To Open an Online Pet Store?

At the end of the day, one of the most important questions you can ask yourself is “why” you want to open an online pet store, to begin with. When creating any kind of startup, finding your business “why” is a critical step in formulating your entire business plan. Without a purpose, businesses risk not having a direction, and this can be especially problematic when challenges arise. 

Solid planning comes from solid thinking. As you move forward with your online pet store plans, keep these questions in mind to help you reflect.