CASCO Pet shares how aquatic retailers can be at their best
As the UK’s third most popular pet, fish can help you and your team cast your customer net wide.
Indeed, latest figures reveal there are an incredible five million indoor fish tanks in the UK, and a further four million outdoor fishponds.
Every year an astonishing £400 million is spent by pet fish owners, and an estimated 8.5 million consumers visit aquatic retailers within the UK. And with bricks and mortar shops considered by industry bodies and experts to be by far the best place for people to buy, there are plenty more fish-related opportunities for your business to succeed.
In saying this, successful aquatic retail requires careful consideration, a commitment to providing an optimal environment and a willingness to be proactive about customer education.
These six steps will make sure your underwater offering gets an A+ rating, from fish and prospective owners alike:
- Reel in customers with your range
Offering an extensive range of species can set you apart from competitors and make your premises a more popular destination for fish fans. Broadly speaking, this could include a mix of freshwater fish and marine fish, but there are also invertebrates and aquatic plants to consider.
Of course, you need to strike the right balance between the space you have available, the compatibility of different species, and the ease of care for both customers and your team. Consider the mix of clientele you might attract — from beginners seeking relatively low maintenance companions to seasoned enthusiasts looking for unique or exotic additions to their tanks. Be strategic with your choices when it comes to characteristics, colours, and behaviours. Your business will benefit!
Whether you’re a small business or larger store, looking to attract tank types, pond owners, or invertebrate enthusiasts, CASCO Pet’s aquatic range sets industry standards.
Its wide range of high quality and easy-to-use products enhance experiences for every fish owner, something that is guaranteed to inspire sales for you.
- Don’t be koi! Use dynamic displays
The aquatic environment you create will play a pivotal role in ensuring the wellbeing of your fish, as well as attracting customers.
Your goal is to replicate the natural environment and minimise monotony, providing social and physical stimulation for the fish which will positively impact their temperament, behaviour, and cognition. A habitat that lacks complexity can restrict a fish’s capacity to exhibit natural behaviours.
While plastic plant displays and various ornaments can be beneficial and cost-effective initially, in terms of ongoing maintenance, they come at a price. They tend to harbour algae and bacteria and may require frequent cleaning, taking up some of your team’s valuable time which could be better spent educating and engaging with customers.
Instead, CASCO Pet’s eye-catching integrated background graphics are a cost-effective and low maintenance solution that provide a source of stimulation and an added sense of security. They create a more vibrant space, and therefore more vibrant fish.
In-house tests explored the impact of the graphics and CASCO Pet found that fish showed a strong preference for a backdrop that mimicked their natural environment.
Such striking backdrops reduce the need for excessive and repeat plant stocking and eliminate the stress of constant upkeep without compromising visual appeal.
Ultimately, offering a stress-free enriching environment will make for happier and healthier fish, which in turn will make for satisfied repeat customers.
- Quiet comforts
Both underwater and external environment noise can negatively affect the behaviour and physiological processes of fish. Although the addition of soft close doors on fish tanks may be a subtle innovation, it’s not one to be underestimated.
Soft close doors reduce stress by creating a tranquil environment, preventing fish from being disturbed at every sale.
They also enhance the retail experience for your customer, who won’t be subject to abrupt noises which can disrupt their selection and experience.
A small change, for a big impact.
- Hook, light and sinker
Good lighting is essential for the health of fish and plant life. It can enhance the wellbeing of an aquatic inhabitant and improve the system they’re in, and helps fish maintain their circadian rhythm.
CASCO Pet offers Pro and Entry level lighting, with both ranges fully programmable, meaning you and your team can optimise tank lighting to reflect the needs of your fish.
This could mean mimicking daily or seasonal changes, simulating sunshine or cloud, or day and night.
Such systems can also benefit your team at quiet times as dimmable lights reduce the need for glass cleaning while making for a tranquil, ambient space.
And of course, having the perfect lighting gives the best opportunity to display your variety of fish, their colours, and enclosure details — all important for customer experience.
- Water quality
The quality and cleanliness of your tanks is directly correlated to the health and wellbeing of your fish. And it isn’t easy to get right. Or at least it wasn’t!
CASCOPurge is a revolutionary filtration system that frees your team members from constant maintenance by filtering out all impurities and detritus on a programmable timer.
This includes trapping dirt particles and breaking down ammonia and nitrite, removing organic waste before it enters the nitrogen cycle, lowering nitrate levels, buffering pH and assisting with automatic partial water changes. This vastly reduces the time and effort your team spends on system upkeep, allowing them to focus on customers.
Significantly, CASCOPurge has been found to improve fish health and reduce instances of fish mortality by up to 80 per cent.
For marine and freshwater aquarium racks, and cascading plant and betta fish displays, CASCO Pet also offers a sump filtration system to enhance water quality. Providing mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration, the system is fully flexible and customisable according to your needs.
With compartments for several types of media, it comes equipped with filter sponges, protein skimmer, heaters and return pump for a clutter-free appearance, while easy accessibility allows for effortless maintenance and monitoring of all essential equipment within — saving valuable time.
If you’re selling temperature sensitive species, CASCO Pet’s compartmental or per-level filtration systems are a good option. Designed to hold multiple species, each aquarium is supplied with its own internal filter and equipment.
Such compartmental configuration also allows for quarantining or isolating of fish in the event of illness, helping to reduce the risk of cross contamination or stress, improving welfare, enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing potential losses.
- Educate and engage
As a fish retailer, you have an incredibly important role when it comes to education, explaining the complexities of caring for fish to customers as well as improving their understanding of good husbandry techniques.
By empowering your team members to become aquatic experts, they will engage with customers and guide them through the intricate world of fish care. Sharing knowledge allows them to build a rapport that goes much beyond a simple transaction. This will vastly improve customer engagement and satisfaction, as well as outcomes for your fish.
Happy customers are loyal, so you benefit from repeat custom as well as word of mouth recommendations — very often the most successful marketing a business can have.
CASCO Pet offers a full range of aquarium products for pet retail, aquatic specialists, wholesalers, educational facilities, animal rehabilitation and rescue shelters. With decades of expertise in the industry, its range spans a wide variety of species from freshwater fish and marine to coldwater pond and invertebrate displays.
Visit www.cascopet.com