IndiePet is Looking Forward to 2025
2024 was a great year for growth, new relationships, and spreading the joy of the independent pet store experience to pet owners.
IndiePet grew! In 2024, IndiePet added 170 new member companies – 47 industry associates and 123 indie retailers (operating 167 stores). Growth means more resources for retailers and more potential outlets for associate brands. We’ll be working in 2025 to bring our two segments together more often and in more ways.
We also doubled the size and outreach of our Neighborhood Pet Store Day promotion gaining about 700 new participants and building a Find a Retailer map of over 1,200 stores across the U.S and Canada. Tapping into this momentum, we are looking forward to strengthening both our numbers and our member resources in 2025.
Connection is an IndiePet theme for 2025 and we will be providing many opportunities to network and build those connections. Our plans include new ways for our associate members to showcase products and promote their brands – creating an easy resource for retailers to research and review new manufacturers and product lines at their convenience. In addition, IndiePet will expand its Member Spotlight – currently being shared with over 800 members – to include an optional Interactive Spotlight, a virtual, conversational meeting between associates and retailers who are interested in learning more about a business or brand.
Greater presence at Global Pet Expo. Members have asked us for more at Global Pet Expo and we are thrilled that, with the support of APPA, we will be able to add a new event in 2025: the IndiePet Power Breakfast. This will be a hosted breakfast for IndiePet retail members and feature sponsoring associate members who will be invited to introduce their businesses and brands, share industry insights, and provide connections available only to breakfast attendees!
Our Global booth space will be expanded as well to accommodate a new element – the Neighborhood Pet Store Day LABoratory where we will share the best promotional ideas from the previous two Neighborhood Pet Store Day events, offer our sponsoring brands more opportunities to support independent pet retailers and provide some fun swag!
Speaking of Neighborhood Pet Store Day – our campaign to raise awareness of, support, and celebrate independent pet retailers – IndiePet is planning for more marketing and outreach support in 2025 with the goal of increasing visibility and participation by both retailers and sponsors and attracting more pet-shoppers to indie stores. While sales for the 2024 Neighborhood Pet Store Day were terrific, generating more than $2 million in MSRP (according to ASTRO Loyalty), we think that they can be even better and want to help retailers make that a reality.
Good data makes for good decisions. A major benefit of membership for retailers continues to be industry research they might not be able to access affordably. We are looking to expand on our regularly published reports from SPINS, NIQ, Cleveland Research and more as we strive to provide the same level of analytical information to members as part of their membership, that major chains have (and pay big bucks for).
And, we will continue to provide valuable mentorship services to any retailer looking for pet business guidance. Mentors are IndiePet members and industry professionals with experience in all areas of pet retail.
For great benefits and resources for independent pet retailers, we invite you to join IndiePet today!
When being different means being better. Advocating for independent retailers and providing tools to help retailers differentiate from the online and mass merchandising giants is key to IndiePet’s mission. Indies also rely on manufacturers and brands who prioritize and support them in their efforts to provide the best products and services for their customers. To facilitate the success of both segments of our membership, IndiePet is building a new resource for indie retail members and the manufacturers and brands that support them.
In early 2025, we will be distributing a detailed questionnaire to our manufacturer members asking for information retailers want to know about a manufacturer or brand they may be considering bringing into their stores. Once the data is collected, it will be used to create member-only searchable, sortable database allowing for easy comparison and evaluation of manufacturers based on criteria important to that retailer. Access to this database and the transparency of manufacturers will help retailers and manufacturers find each other and find new products that meet an indie retailer’s needs more easily and efficiently.
Getting involved and using the tools and resources of membership is critical to building a strong network. IndiePet currently has five operating committees and one advisory panel made up of a balanced mix of associate and retailer members. These committees are responsible for creating the valuable programs available to all members. IndiePet seeks and encourages member involvement. We exist to give voice to independents. You can actively contribute to the development of benefits you receive as an IndiePet member and to the greater, overall success of independent pet retail by participating on a working committee, applying for a board position, or joining the advisory panel.
We are excited about 2025 and will hit the ground running. To learn more about how to get involved, feel free to reach out to me personally at todd.dittman@indiepet.org.
