This story originally appeared in the SuperZoo Show Daily, which is published by Pet Product News.

The retail experience continues to change, but that doesn’t mean shoppers have; they still want what they want, when they want it, the way that they want it, each time they visit your store. Keep customers coming back for more with these non-stop traffic-building, profit-producing, attention-grabbing, sales-generating, competition-miffing, customer-winning strategies every retailer should embrace.

1. Choose a theme for your window displays. There are plenty of national and fun holidays to choose from each month, or make up your own. Carry that theme throughout the store.

2. Keep it simple. People need to be able to take in your windows in eight seconds or less.

3. Chose a backdrop that makes the merchandise pop. A vertical backdrop will draw the eye up and down as well as forward, causing shoppers to see more of your window display.

4. Add your telephone number and web address in 12 to 14 inch white reflective vinyl letters at the center bottom of your main windows. Now potential customers can easily get in touch or check your website even when your store isn’t open for business. Add a QR code for even easier access.

5. Light your display windows at night. This is especially important if your store is in an area that’s walkable or populated with restaurants and bars. Lighting entices people to come back when your store is open.

6. Create an instant display with window graphics using photos blown up to fit your window space. Perforated window graphics stop shoppers with vibrant photos on the outside while allowing shoppers to see out of the windows from the inside. Any sign shop can make these window graphics for you.

7. Offer carts or baskets to increase sales. Customers stop shopping once their hands are full, so make offering a cart or basket part of your greeting. If you don’t have carts, offer to hold items at the cashwrap until the customer is ready to check out.

8. Place speed bump displays front and center. These important displays are the customers’ first impression of the store upon entering. Use small fixtures or stacking tables to group irresistible products together.

9. Cross-merchandise. Think about additional products you could add to displays that will save customers time and increase sales. Look around the store for places to add J-hooks, clip strips and inexpensive power panel fixtures designed to help you sell more.

10. Sign your displays. Displays that are signed outperform displays that are not by 20 percent. The message should be simple, indicating key features and price. Use both uppercase and lowercase letters, and don’t use fonts smaller than 30 points so customers who wear reading glasses can easily read your signs without them.

11. Do a 360-degree pass-by each day before opening for business. Start at the front door and walk every aisle in the store, and finish with a look at the cashwrap, service counter, restrooms and other areas that need attention before you unlock the door. Require all associates to do a 360-degree pass-by before each shift.

12. Set a daily sales goal and post it at the cashwrap. Associates will perform better when they know what’s expected of them.

13. Hold a 10-minute meeting each morning or at the start of each shift. Discuss products, policies, promotions—anything associates need to know that day.

14. Display policy signing in a prominent place at the cashwrap. Your return/exchange policy should be comparable to other retailers in your area that sell what you sell. Try to eliminate the word “no,” writing your policies in a friendly voice. “No refunds or exchanges without receipt!” becomes customer-friendly when changed to “We gladly accept returns and exchanges within X days. Your receipt guarantees it.”

15. Place impulse items at the cashwrap. High-margin, inexpensive items work best, so choose irresistible items such as toys and treats. Rotate the selection often so repeat customers always see something new.

16. Display gift cards at the cashwrap year-round. Most gift card shoppers require more than one trip to your store to spend the amount on the card and will then spend more than the face value of the card. That’s good news for you every month of the year!

17. Keep a stash of frequently forgotten items at the cashwrap. Now, when a customer says, “I forgot to get X, I’ll get it next time,” you can reach under the counter, grab that item and save the sale.

18. Answer the phone within three rings. Choose a simple greeting and share it with all associates. Long automated messages or requiring associates to tell callers about sales, hours or whatever else is happening that day before asking how they can help drives customers crazy.

19. Manage your customer response times. Best practices say you should return phone calls and respond to emails within 24 hours and reply to texts within an hour. Not being responsive gives a bad impression of your business.

20. Control your back stock. Before you reorder, check to ensure there are no additional quantities of that product already in your stock room. If you need a physical reminder, place a green dot sticker on the shelf or bin ticket indicating that there is more of this merchandise in the stock room. When there is no more of the item in back, replace the green dot with a red dot, indicating that this item needs to be reordered. Add a black dot if the item is not to be reordered, or mark it down and move it to the sale aisle.

21. Take physical cycle counts. Even if you have a point-of-sale (POS) system, it’s still important to take periotic physical counts at shelf level to compare actual inventory versus what’s on the POS report. If they don’t match, you need to find out why.

22. Don’t wait too long to take markdowns. Merchandise that isn’t selling needs to go to free up cash to buy fresh, salable product. Add a “sell by” date to price tags and bin tickets, and mark down items as soon as sales start to slow down.

23. Create a weekly bag stuffer and hand one to every shopper. Use your bag stuffers to advertise specific product, events or whatever is important that week.

24. Build a brag sheet that’s loaded with the services your store provides, awards, conveniences, merchandise categories, brands, social media handles, return policy, hours—everything that’s important to your customers. Print it on the back of your weekly bag stuffer, and add it to your website, social media and email blasts.

25. Send email blasts once or twice a month. Choose a professional email marketing company to create your campaigns. Companies like Constant Contact, SnapRetail and Mailchimp all offer a free trial, so try them all and choose your favorite.

26. Host one major and one to two minor in-store events each month. Major events fill the store with shoppers, while minor events, like classes and demos, limit the number of participants. Both are important to engage and connect with customers.

27. Toot your own horn. Contact local media and pitch stories about your store. Send a press release for each newsworthy thing you do, including awards, events, contest winners, charitable works, newsworthy associates and especially your trip to SuperZoo. Take photos to include with your press releases.

28. Ramp up your social media presence. Choose two to three social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and commit to keeping them up-to-date. Posting daily is the optimal goal; three times a week is the very minimum to keep followers interested.

29. Use hashtags to expand your reach. Posts with hashtags have more engagement than those that don’t. Without a hashtag your posts only go to the people who follow you, but posts that include hashtags can reach anyone who follows that hashtag. Google “best hashtags for pet stores” to get started, and be sure to include a hashtag with the name of your store.

30. Make time for yourself. It’s been a tough few years, but you made it through. You found new ways to source product, became a star on social media and juggled a gazillion other things. You are probably exhausted, so give yourself a break. Set priorities; do what you can and delegate the rest. You made it this far, proving there is no limit to what you can do when you put your mind to it!

Georganne Bender and Rich Kizer are speakers, authors and consultants who have helped thousands of businesses in the retail, creative, restaurant, health care, death care, hospitality, pet, collegiate, travel, tanning, beauty, tech, auto, sales and service industries grow their sales since 1990. Kizer & Bender are listed among the Top 40 Omnichannel Retail Influencers, Top 100 Retail Influencers, and the Top Retail Industry Experts to Follow on Social Media. They made Meetings & Conventions Magazine’s list of Meeting Planners Favorite Keynote Speakers, were named two of Retailing’s Most Influential People, and their award-winning Retail Adventures Blog ranks high on the Top 20 Retail & Marketing Blogs for 2022. As global retail thought leaders, Kizer & Bender serve as BrainTrust panelists for RetailWire, retailing’s premier online discussion forum. Kizer & Bender are experts on generational diversity, consumer trends, marketing and promotion, and everything retail. As consumer anthropologists, they stalk and study that most elusive of mammals: today’s consumer. In addition to focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and intensive on-site studies, their research includes posing as every kind of customer you can imagine. The result of their research is literally straight from the mouth of the consumer: solid ground level intelligence you can use to better serve your own customers.

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