‘Zoomark International fair, together with Interzoo, certainly represents an important moment for our sector, which allows us to grasp new market trends in advance and to compare ourselves with our suppliers’. Update and spirit of adaptation. ‘Keeping up to date means monitoring market changes and customer needs, improving the ability to adapt to changing conditions and remain competitive. Therefore, it is important for pet store owners to constantly evaluate new innovation opportunities to improve their business and meet the needs of their customers’.
Hobbyzoo pet store network was born in 2013 from the entrepreneurial spirit expressed by Michele Monteforte, sole administrator of ‘Momi’. Today the company operates with four owned stores located in Sicily, in Catania and its province. The manager explained: ‘Our stores offer assortment variety, services, and adequate assistance. Grooming, for example, is one of the most strategic and requested services by our consumers. In addition, there is the veterinary pharmacy that we set up in our stores, where qualified pharmacists are employed. Furthermore, we count on an assortment able to offer around 9,000 references. Pet food is certainly the best performing category, followed by hygiene products and antiparasitics’.
As regards the development plans for the current year, it is envisaged to bring the current sales network to seven stores, extending the presence of Hobbyzoo to other Sicilian cities, too.
Innovation, services, and technology
Innovation can have a significant impact on the success of a pet shop in several ways. For example, the introduction of new products, such as high-quality pet food or pet care products with natural ingredients, can attract new customers and increase the loyalty of existing ones. ‘But services are also important, as in the case of the presence of a personalized nutritional consultant for pets. Furthermore, there is technology: the use of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence for warehouse management or sales management software can help improve the efficiency of the company and the management of daily operations’.
