Companion animals, or pets, are a key part of every home. From young couples adopting their first pet, to children bonding with man’s best friend and guard dogs that make their owners proud. But caring for these animals is a big responsibility, and their needs have to be met, too. That’s where pet stores come in: from nutrition to animal enrichment, they’ve got it all. So how about starting your own?

Market Size and Research

Approximately 45% of adults in South Africa own a companion animal. A 2024 survey indicated that 78% of these respondents are dog owners and 36% cat owners. However, many other pets such as hamsters, rabbits and fish, not to mention exotic pets, are not included in these statistics. Another source indicated that 86,4% of pet reptiles in South Africa are non-native species, meaning these animals have specialised dietary and environmental needs.

This market is currently valued at USD 309,9 million with an annual growth rate of 3,8% – that’s more than R 700 million to cash in on!

Choose Your Business Model

Selling goods such as pet supplies can be done either online or in person, such as at markets or a brick-and-mortar store. Decide how you will run your business, as each model will require a few extra steps.

Research your market. If you are going to run an e-commerce store, you will need to focus on the market you are trying to target. Is it a specific type of pet owner, such as dog owners, or perhaps only exotic pets? Is your ideal customer looking for something specific, such as eco-friendly pet products, or perhaps specialised pet nutrition?

If you choose to open a physical store, you may want to consider offering a variety of products instead. Because rent and utilities are expensive, aiming to target a wider customer base to ensure you make enough sales to cover your expenses.

Create a business plan that reflects what products you intend to sell and how. Include your financial projections, budget and business details.

Legal Requirements for a Pet Store

Every business in South Africa needs to be registered with CIPC, as well as SARS, the tax regulator.

If you employ staff, you also need to adhere to all laws relating to basic employment.

If you are opening a physical store, and especially if you intend to keep live animals for sale, you must familiarise yourself with municipal bylaws. These may require you to obtain additional certification that allows you to trade and keep animals. Exotic animals, for instance, also require additional permits for buying, trading and keeping of certain species.

Inventory and Supplies

Selling pet supplies means that you will need to find suppliers. You will not only need to obtain pricing from them, but also calculate the cost of shipping or transporting stock to your facility, be it your store or the warehouse where you keep your inventory for your online pet store.

Request wholesale catalogues from various vendors to compare pricing.

If you are stocking items such as pet food, you will need to order enough stock to present to your customers, but not too much so that slow-moving stock expires on your shelves.

It’s also a good idea to invest in efficient inventory management systems that integrate with your point of sale system to keep track of sales and stock. This will help you keep your records in order and make reconciliation easy.

Market Your Business

Marketing your business is a vital step when you are new. Luckily, you have a large Arsenal of tools at your disposal.

For e-commerce stores, you should expand your knowledge on SEO as this is a great way to reach new clients online, especially those searching for your type of product.

Social media is also a great option regardless of operating online or a brick-and-mortar store. It can help you reach new audiences that you haven’t reached before. By understanding how to use the algorithm to your advantage, you can effectively grow your customer base. Learn about hashtags, creating content that captures the audience’s attention, as well as social selling to leverage low-cost social media marketing strategies. Additionally, you can also learn more about promoting your posts on the platform to make sure you reach specific audiences.

Old school marketing tactics such as flyers, posters, newspapers or even good old pop-up stores are all good ways to make people aware of your business.

Before you can employ the above strategies, you only need to build your brand by creating a brand persona, logo and establishing brand values that you will be communicating in the above materials. Create these before you set up your social media accounts and start marketing your business.\

Share that you sell pet food, pet apparel, house-training aids, grooming materials, pet carriers and furniture, enrichment toys, or care necessities for various animals, from spiders and lizards, to bunnies and dogs.

By following these steps, you will be able to start your own business in no time.

Other pet-related business ideas to discover include a pet grooming business and pet sitting.