St. Charles Hardware puts its best paw forward
Home improvement stores looking for innovative ways to increase foot traffic and engage with loyal customers in a fresh way, should try pet adoption clinics.
“We promote pet adoption events on social media, and we put a banner out front of our store. We get 200-300 people for the events,” said Dave Nestor, general manager of St. Charles Do it Best Hardware.
Through a partnership with local charity Anderson Humane Society, St. Charles Hardware has held three of these events.
“We get lots of families and it’s great fun for everyone,” said Nestor.
Hosting is as simple as making space for the humane society representative to set up a table and welcome a few four-legged friends, then spreading the word to the community.
“We do these about every other month, usually on a Saturday, and our next one will be late June or early July,” said Nestor.
“We’re going to add dog training classes as well,” said Nestor. “In my past life I was a dog obedience trainer. We have extra space in the back, a separate room, that we can conduct the training classes in, no problem – we’re pet friendly anyway and dogs are always welcome.”
Speaking of pet friendly, Nestor himself adopted a dog at a recent adoption clinic in his store.
‘We adopted Winslow and he’s here in the store about three days a week. He’s sort of become the store mascot.”
During the event, the humane society spokesperson can talk with customers about the adoption process, hand out applications, and conduct on-the-spot interviews with those who want to take a pet home right away, said St. Charles Hardware.
Many customers instead choose to take the application home to think on it, then contact the humane society later to pursue adoption.
St. Charles Hardware has found these events to be worth their time and effort. They draw in spontaneous foot traffic, which leads to increased sales.
Anyone who likes dogs will attend — including singles, families, women, men, and children — so they’re sure to attract a wide demographic.
These pet adoption events a casual way for potential new customers to become familiar with the store and staff without the pressure to buy.
“Anderson Humane Society brings 15-20 animals on pet adoption days,” said Nestor. “They’re our favorite local charity organization here in St. Charles.”
For new stores, said the hardware store, pet adoption events can help foster familiarity with the store and staff, creating a welcoming environment to entice repeat customers.
For established stores, they’re a great touchpoint to keep the store top of mind for existing customers, draw in new customers, and keep the store experience fresh.
For all stores, the partnership with a local humane society demonstrates a commitment to the community and a local-first mindset.
Nestor said, “We just received a Chamber of Commerce award for improvement to a retail space.”
If St. Charles Hardware is any indication, these events are a win-win-win for customers, humane societies, and home improvement stores alike.
“We’re lucky to be partnered with such a great organization as Anderson Humane Society,” said Nestor.
“We’re always looking to find great homes for these great dogs.”