dvm360 Leadership Challenge: Retail revolution

Veterinary professionals tell pet owners one thing in the hospital, then those clients head over to the boarder, groomer or pet store and sometimes get a totally different message. Veterinarians are the medical experts, but pet service providers sometimes feel that their experience, products and services can help veterinary clients avoid “unnecessary” medical procedures and visits to the hospital. Both these groups want healthier pets, so why can't are they talking more?

This dvm360 Leadership Challenge helps close the gap in the circle of care by educating pet service providers on veterinarians' work and helping veterinarians think more about pet owners' lives-who's influencing them-educating both pet service providers and veterinarians about how they can work together for pets' well-being.

In the retail world: What should you know?

Retail revolution: Completing the circle of care for your veterinary patients

A pet's life is enriched by regular veterinary visits and medical care, but is the circle of a pet's life really complete if you don't take into account the work of all the other pet service professionals in the country? Let's dig into the wild and woolly world of the building down the street: the pet store.

Selling retail for the greater good

Beyond the bottom line benefits, respondents to dvm360's Retail Revolution survey say selling retail items at their veterinary hospitals allows them to recommend products they feel good about.

Behavior training at pet retailers-good, bad, ugly, beautiful?

Help steer your veterinary clients in the right direction.

When pet advice is ... as bad as it gets

A look at what your veterinary colleagues report their clients have heard from pet store employees.

Pet store says what?

Veterinary managers and team members have heard of some crazy stuff pet store owners and employees say. Take a breath and wade in ...

How team members really feel about retail

Everyone-but the veterinarians-spills on how important retail is in veterinary practices and how friendly (and useful) working with pet retailers and others outside the hospital is for business and client education.

Educating retailers: A client service

The gap between pet retailers and veterinarians: Zoonosis edition

Veterinary professionals weigh in on pet retailers' lack of client education for exotic pets.

Veterinary/retail rumble: Punching back against retail misinformation

Playing defense is a common fall back veterinary practices employ when pet care advice is administered to their clients in a shopping aisle. But this is one case where it's worth stepping in the ring and having a good offense ready.

Retail in emergency medicine? Nope.

The 2018 dvm360/VHMA Practice Manager of the Year shares her view on retail in emergency practice-no surprise, it's not that big-but she does see a path where pet retailers and veterinarians could find more common ground and better help their shared customers.

Veterinarians and retailers: Conflict

Can DVMs and pet stores be friends?

This veterinary practice's working relationship with a pet store was always a mixed bag: new clients with new puppies on the one hand, but less-than-ideal compliance with recommendations from the pet store owner on the other. Here's what ultimately happened.

Extend an olive branch to retailers

Or at least acknowledge them, because they're not going away. Veterinarians chime in on co-existing with pet merchants.

Retail in hospital: A client service

4 steps to revitalize your hospital retail

Retail is not the reason for a veterinary hospital, but touches of fun and nonmedical pet items can invigorate your clients' visits. Plus, check out three ‘no duh!' items you have right now to fix your hospital's retail space today.

How to be a veterinary practice retail guru

Is one of your veterinary hospital team members the right person to rev up your retail offerings? Or is that you? Here are my five steps to rethinking your clinic's retail for happy pet owners and patients.

To bring retail into your clinic or not?

Two architects add their perspectives to the debate.

How to thrive (not just survive) in practice retail

We picked Dr. Marty Becker's brain on the presence and prevalence of retail in veterinary practices. Check out his tips of the retail trade.

No longer an afterthought: Making your practice's retail area shine

Don't let those valuable products gather dust-adopt these habits for a top notch practice retail area.