Zoo&Zo | The Netherlands
With a sharp eye for service, quality and customer care, Zoo&Zo – the largest specialist pet store in The Netherlands, presents itself as an innovative player on the market. CEO Arnold Vlastuin has clear ideas about the store concept: “The customer is our guest.” PETS International visited the store in Ede and asked Vlastuin about his creative entrepreneurship.
Store design and product range
Zoo&Zo gives its guest a warm welcome. The customer walks into a spacious, well- lit store. On the right, we find the canine section, with various displays of baskets and blankets in a style reminiscent of lifestyle magazines. On the left, we see the in- store vet and the feline range of products.
In addition to a lunchroom, a fish section and a horseriding section, the second floor also has a separate angling department with attractive product displays for outdoor leather boots and high-quality rainwear. The maintenance-friendly design with its warm, kind but nonetheless luxurious atmosphere gives the business its unique signature.
With its careful choice of product range too, Zoo&Zo has secured a good position on the market.
The range, particularly of dog food products, is impressive. “We are the exclusive distributors for the Benelux of the Genesis and Chicopee brands (Harrison Pet Products Inc.), and that is a good way for us to position our firm,” Vlastuin says. “I want to be able to continue providing the customer with quality and service – and you can see the value we attach to quality in the products we have on our shelves.”
Connecting offline and online
The store concept has gone as far as it can now, so with a well-run store and well- trained staff it is time to continue building the online community.
“We have to make sure that a customer understands what he or she is buying online – and to do that you need more than a plain old product description – testimonials would be a good idea here.
We will be launching a campaign with an online expert in tow. He will become the new face of the store.”
Community building and customer experience
What does Vlastuin see as the biggest challenge for his business? “One important factor is that the prices in the web shop must be the same as those in the store,” Vlastuin explains. “Competition among web shops is fierce and our store can be an added value. That is only possible if the prices do not differ.
“We try to trigger customers on online platforms to visit the store – by announcing special events, such as a cat show. We make video clips of these events, which can also be uploaded to the social media channels.”
Zoo&Zo has a broad approach to the notion of customer loyalty. The store functions as a way of bringing customers together and even acts as a community centre where, for instance, carp-fishing fans can enjoy a coffee together during the carp season. Organized walking tours allow dog-lovers to meet each other and at the end of their walk, they receive a bag of goodies, filled with suppliers’ samples.
Vlastuin emphasizes that the next generation of guests are also important. In addition to children’s parties, the firm also provides educational instruction for children. “This way, we can really bring people together.”
How successful is the store formula? In time, Vlastuin sees opportunities for expansion, but at the moment he is focussing on investing in collaborating with suppliers and strengthening the online position: “Just as we do here in the store, I want to be able to extend a heartfelt welcome to every customer online.”