Glossary

Affordability – How much the customer is able or willing to spend on a product.

Benefits – What the product will do for the customer or pet, or what it will help them accomplish.

Complaint – The reason a customer is upset with a product or shopping experience.

Credibility – The trust the customer places in you as a source of reliable information.

Empathy – Treating customers as you would want to be treated if you were in their place.

Features – Details about a product that relate to how it is made or what it is made from.

First Impression – The attitude and feeling a customer forms about your store upon first entering your store.

High Convenience Customer – Shoppers that want a hassle-free shopping experience.

High-Touch Customers – Shoppers that need more help than other shoppers, especially with potential high-ticket items.

Hobbyist Customers – Shoppers who tend to spend more time in a pet store and are usually not in a hurry. They like to ask questions and enjoy looking at new products.

Objections – Reasons why a shopper may choose not to buy an item.

Price-Driven Customers – Shoppers that frequently ask about prices and special deals and will do most anything to get a special price.

Product Knowledge – Information about the pets and pet products sold at your store.

Return – A product that is returned to the store in exchange for a full or partial refund of the price.

Return Policy – A store procedure dictating how the employee should handle returns of certain products. The policy may be different for different types of products.

Show and Tell – Sales technique that involves taking the product off the shelf and letting the customer handle it while you explain its features and benefits.

Special Services – Work the store provides to the customer, such as delivery, installation of special items, pet cleaning and grooming, product assembly or rental.

Time-Pressed Customers – Shoppers that want to get in the store, find what they need and get back out quickly.