How to launch an online pet store from scratch

Nowadays, an online business identity, such as a website or mobile app, is needed to attain the trust of customers. It provides value to your company’s brand building. Do you sell pet supplies, pet products, and pet grooming products? Do you intend to start an online pet store?

We are pleased to inform you that you are on the correct track because many people enjoy doing pet shopping and buying pet products online, thus there are several prospects to grow your pet store business.

According to GMInsights, the pet care industry was valued at $223 billion in 2019 and is predicted to increase at a 5.9 percent CAGR from 2020 to 2026.

What is the Online Pet Store?

Pet business is typically a way of selling pets to pet owners. Whichever type of pet you require, you can always find it at a pet store.

The online pet store is the same as an offline pet store in that it offers a wide range of chances for people all over the world to find and buy a pet online. Additionally, it is also utilized to list your animal as available for adoption, making it easier for buyers to find the pets of their choice.

Here, we will provide you a step-by-step guide on how to create an online pet supplies store.

Without further ado, let us begin:

The process to develop and deploy the successful online pet store app:

Market research on online pet stores

Describe your unique selling points (USPs) and target audience.

Create wireframes for your pet store

Design the online pet store app

Online pet store app development

Testing the app

Launching the app

Market research on online pet stores

Indeed, the very first step is to research and analyze the current online pet store market. An in-depth study of your competitors and the industry know-how will provide you the right base to start. This may consist of various factors such as :

• Who are your competitors?
• What are the most appealing features of their online pet food stores?
• How does their UI/UX look?
• What are their advantages and disadvantages?
• How are their customer reviews on the app store and the Google Play store, as well as on social media platforms?

Describe your unique selling points (USPs) and target audience

Now, after the competitor analysis is done. It’s time for you to describe your uniqueness and how you’ll stand out from the competition. In order to compete, you may start with the following questions – 

• What exactly is the audience looking for?
• What will the app’s primary function be?
• How does the app provide more value than a responsive website?
• What advantages will you provide to the audience?

Create wireframes for your pet store

As a next step, it’s time for designing the app. Collaborate with designers to work on the wireframes and decide an appropriate flow of the pet store app. Keep in mind that – 

• To save time throughout the development process, try to build different versions.
• Test the wireframes for various scenarios.
• Consider your users.

Design the online pet store app

Afterward, it’s time to design the app. Even here, you have to collaborate with the designers to work on the theme, flow, color scheme, and different combinations for the pet store app.

• Make the design mobile-friendly.
• Use eye-catching aesthetic features to keep your app’s visitors interested.
• Follow the instructions to have your app authorised for the app store and the Google Play store.
• Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS) is a good UX strategy to follow.
• Finally, stay up – to – date with design trends. 

Online pet store app development

Eventually, it’s time to build your online pet shop app. Choose the best development team to take you through the development process. For instance, Yelo can provide you with the best on-demand app development solutions with its seamless integrations and features for your smooth business functioning.

Testing the app

Afterward, the most crucial step for pushing the apps live is to make sure the testing is done properly. The aim is to make the app run smoothly and bug-free. Focus on considering the following points –

• Testing for Usability
• Performance Testing
• Functionality Testing
• User Acceptance Testing
• Testing for Specific Devices

Launching the app

It is not an easy task to publish the app on the app store and the play store. Apple’s App Store has a few strict criteria that you must adhere to.

Following that is app store optimization, which will assist your target users in easily finding your app. For this phase, you can enlist the assistance of a digital marketing service provider to help your app rank in the app store and the Google Play store.

Also, to gain customer loyalty, constantly upgrading your app with market trends on a regular basis.

Top Online Pet Store Apps Around the Globe

Here are some of the topmost liked apps by the pet-parents around the world. This will give you an impression of how to build an online pet store app.

• Petsmart
• Chewy
• Petco
• Allivet
• Coupaw
• PetCare

What Solutions Pet Lovers are looking for

• Pets clothing and accessories app
• Pet walking
• Pets grooming service providers
• Pet boarding or Daycare
• Pet selling or Adoption App

Wrapping up

In conclusion, we have an ultimate solution for you to avoid this hassle of looking for the best product for your online pet store. With Yelo, you can have all these features under one roof. From dog walking to building an online pet store, Yelo has it all.

With the seamless integrations and endless features, you can have your online pet store. Yelo is an online marketplace builder solution that enables users to create and manage their direct-to-consumer virtual market. Furthermore, it supports all types of marketplaces, such as rentals, professional services, and hyperlocal among others.