Your Ultimate Summer Strategy for Neighbourhood Retailers

By Jennifer Murray

Let’s be honest, summer can feel like a weird in-between season for pet retail. Unless your store is at the beach, or located at another busy summer destination, you might find that summer foot traffic dips because your customers are distracted. A retailer that does not stay proactive during the summer might even begin to see sales slide. But here’s the good news my friends! Summer is also a massive opportunity to build visibility, drive repeat visits, and become the store your community counts on when it’s hot out.

If you were at my Omnipresence presentation at the Connect Pet Expo in May, consider this your summer game plan to bring that strategy to life in your store. If you missed it, here’s the heart of it: omnipresence is not about chasing clicks or gaming algorithms. It’s about showing up with purpose and staying relevant. Omnipresence is about making sure your store is seen, heard, and trusted online, in your community, and in every customer interaction. At its core, it’s about preserving the human connection that makes neighbourhood pet retail so powerful.

Let’s break it down into five smart steps to keep your store visible, valuable, and thriving all summer long.

✅ 1. Be a Summer Lifesaver!

Build a seasonal display in your store that helps your customers protect their pets in the summer weather. You should stock the section with cooling gear, pet-safe sunscreens, frozen treats, car crates, travel harnesses, and flea & tick solutions. These items are not just “nice-to-haves,” they are “must-haves” for responsible summer pet parenting. Your goal is to make it easy for pet parents to both shop and learn at your store.

✅ 2. Give Them a Reason to Leash Up

I don’t want you to just sit in the store and wait for customers to wander through your front door. Instead, I want you to give them something to show up for:

• A frozen treat sampling day

• A “pups on the patio” social with your local café

• An educational pop-up on heat safety or summer travel tips
  
  

Small events like the above build community, create great social content, and keep your store relevant in your community. This is also an excellent way to show your personality and build the “undeniably you” feeling to complete your store’s vibe.

✅ 3. Make Summer Loyalty Easy & Fun!

Make it easy for your customers to come back and visit you this summer. Here are some great options for moving merchandise and making people smile at the cash register.

• A summer punch card: “Buy 5 summer items, get one free”

• A pet travel essentials bundle at a discounted price

• Think of a fun loyalty boost idea for July. I want you to get the creativity flowing and work as a team to enhance the customer experience.
  
  

✅ 4. Turn Scrolls into Sales

Summer is a great opportunity to use your social platforms to teach, not just sell.

·         Post quick summer tips like “did you know dogs can burn their paw pads on hot pavement?”
Don’t forget to follow-up the summer tips with product mentions: “We’ve got protective booties and balms ready for pickup!”

I want you to let your pet care knowledge shine and consistently remind your customers that you are always there to help and educate.

✅ 5. Show Your Summer Shine

This is your chance for your business to feel as bright and inspiring as the outdoor weather. In Canada we never have long enough to enjoy the sunshine. It will be cold again before we know it. I encourage you to embrace the sunshine and update your windows, sandwich boards, website banners, and even your voicemail message if needed. Summer is a feeling—so let your brand reflect it. I see bright visuals, outdoor pet pics and clear messaging like:
“Hot days, cool pets. We’ve got what you need.”

🌟 Final Thought:

Summer is not slow—it is strategic. The pet retailers who win in July are the ones who show up early, show up consistently, and show up where their customers are already looking. Summer success is built through intentional moves that keep your store visible, valuable, and connected.