Running a pet care business in 2025 isn't easy — you're managing appointments, sending care updates, and trying to keep your furry clients' parents happy. And with 3 billion WhatsApp users worldwide, there's a massive opportunity to connect with pet owners right where they spend their time.
The pet care industry is going through big changes. 57% of young pet owners now have multiple pets, and they're looking for businesses that can keep up with their active lifestyles. They want quick updates about their pets, easy booking, and a direct line to you when they need it.
We've worked with dozens of pet care businesses, and we've seen what works (and what doesn't) when it comes to WhatsApp marketing. In this guide, we'll show you 7 proven strategies that will help you build stronger relationships with pet parents, boost your bookings, and grow your business — all through WhatsApp.
Pet care is big business. By 2030, the global market will hit $237.3 billion, growing at 6.35% yearly. And if you're running a pet care business, there's something even more interesting — 79% of pet care spending comes from customers who shop both online and in stores. That's why combining digital tools with your regular services makes so much sense.
WhatsApp has changed how pet care businesses talk to their clients. You can set up a business profile with all your important info, like when you're open and how to reach you. And when clients message you about common things — like booking a grooming session or asking about vaccine requirements — you can use quick replies to get back to them right away.
Pet parents want to know their furry friends are in good hands. When a dog's at daycare or a cat's getting groomed, being able to send quick updates makes a huge difference. WhatsApp makes this easy. You can send photos, videos, and messages that show exactly how their pets are doing. And with chat labels, you can keep track of which messages need follow-up, like booking the next appointment or checking how a pet's doing after a vet visit.
WhatsApp marketing tools help you do more than just chat. You can send appointment reminders, share special offers, and even collect feedback from your clients. And speaking of making things easier, WhatsApp Payments lets your clients pay you right in the chat — no need to switch apps or pull out their credit cards.
Your clients probably get hundreds of emails every day, but WhatsApp messages? They read those right away. That's what makes it such a good way to stay in touch. You can automate the basic stuff with a WhatsApp chatbot, which gives you more time to focus on what really matters — taking care of pets and building relationships with their owners.
Ready to learn exactly how to put all this into action? Let's look at 7 proven ways pet care businesses are using WhatsApp to grow...
When you run a pet care business, staying in touch with your clients needs to be easy and quick. That's where WhatsApp comes in. A great example is our client, Animeal, a pet care company that started using WhatsApp to talk to their customers. They managed to turn 35% of their WhatsApp chats into sales — that's about 30 to 40 orders for every 100 conversations.
So what makes WhatsApp work so well? First off, you can set up automated greetings that make your clients feel welcome right away. When someone messages you about their pet, they'll get a quick "hi" back, letting them know you're there to help. But it's not just about being fast — it's about being personal too. You can look up what kind of pet they have, when they last came in, and what services they usually want.
And then there's the cool stuff you can do with photos and videos. Say you're a groomer — you can send your client a quick photo of their freshly groomed pup. Or if you're running a pet store, you can show someone exactly how that new cat tree looks from different angles. These little touches make a big difference.
We've seen this work really well in practice. There's this vet clinic that started using WhatsApp for booking appointments and checking in after visits. They send quick reminders about follow-up care and make it super easy for pet parents to ask questions. Their clients love it because they can message their vet almost as easily as they'd text a friend.
Another good one is this grooming service that started sharing before-and-after shots through WhatsApp. Every time they finish grooming a pet, they send a photo to the owner. The owners get excited about showing off their pet's new look, and they end up booking their next appointment right there in the chat.
All these little interactions add up to something bigger — they help you build real relationships with your clients. When pet parents know they can reach you easily and get quick, helpful responses, they're more likely to keep coming back. And in the pet care business, those long-term relationships are what it's all about.
Broadcast messages on WhatsApp are changing the game for pet care businesses. Take Zoko client, Petsy, for example. They switched their promotions to WhatsApp and made $79,648 in revenue, with conversion rates 32% higher than their email campaigns. The secret? They got smart about how they sent their messages.
When you're sending broadcasts, there are a few things that can make a big difference:
A local grooming salon tried this out and saw some amazing results. They sent out a message about a special discount on grooming services, along with some really cute before-and-after photos of dogs they'd groomed. Within a week, their bookings went up by 30%.And then there's this pet supply store that used broadcasts to tell people about their upcoming sale. Instead of just blasting everyone with the same message, they sent different deals to different customer groups. Cat owners got news about cat food sales, while dog owners heard about new toy arrivals. It worked really well — their store was packed on sale days.The best part about WhatsApp marketing tools for broadcasts? You can actually see who's opening your messages. And when you combine that with WhatsApp Payments, customers can buy right there in the chat — no need to switch apps or pull out their credit cards.By making your broadcasts feel more like a message from a friend than a business promotion, you'll keep your customers coming back. It's all about finding that sweet spot between being helpful and selling your services.3. Building Community Through Group Chats
Group chats can transform how pet businesses connect with their customers. Petsy, a Zoko client, showed how powerful this can be — they made $79K in additional revenue by creating an active community through WhatsApp.When you're starting a group chat for your pet business, there are a few things that really work well:
The great thing about WhatsApp marketing tools is how they let you mix community building with selling. You can share a cute photo of a dog with their new toy, and when someone asks about it, you can send them straight to your WhatsApp catalog to buy it. And with WhatsApp Payments built in, they can make their purchase without leaving the chat.Getting your community going takes some work, but it's worth it. Start conversations about things pet parents care about — maybe it's how to help anxious pets during thunderstorms, or tips for introducing a new cat to the family. When people start helping each other out with advice and support, you'll see your group really come alive.And don't forget about special events. You might do a virtual meetup where everyone shares photos of their pets in Halloween costumes, or maybe a Q&A session with a local vet. These kinds of activities keep people coming back to the group and make them feel like they're part of something special.Happy customers in your group chats tend to become your biggest fans. They'll tell their friends about your business, share their good experiences, and come back to shop with you again and again. It's a win-win — they get a supportive community of fellow pet lovers, and you get more loyal customers.4. Personalizing Promotions with Rich MediaWhen you sell pet products, showing is better than telling. Animeal, a Zoko client, proved this by getting a 35% conversion rate when they added product photos and descriptions to their WhatsApp catalog. People love seeing what they're buying, especially when it comes to their pets.The great thing about WhatsApp marketing tools is how they let you mix different types of content. You can send high-quality photos of happy pets using your products, quick videos showing how a new toy works, or even before-and-after clips of grooming sessions. These visuals help build trust with your customers.And when you add WhatsApp Payments to the mix, customers can see something they like and buy it right away. This combo of visual content and easy payment options makes the whole shopping experience feel natural and easy.5. Enhancing Customer Support with AutomationRunning a pet business means answering lots of questions — when you're open, how much things cost, what services you offer. Animeal found a smart way to handle this: they used automation to manage 305 sales conversations in just 3 months. This saved them 33 hours of work and cut down on costs.Here's what works well with automation:
This way, simple questions get answered right away, and your team can focus on more important stuff — like helping customers pick the right food for their picky eater or giving advice about pet health issues. It's about finding the right balance between quick automated responses and personal attention when it really matters.6. Showcasing Products with Mobile Catalogs
Making it easy for customers to shop is everything. Animeal, a Zoko client, proved this when they turned WhatsApp into their mobile storefront. They handled 1,000 sales conversations through their WhatsApp catalog, connecting it with Shopify and Razorpay so customers could buy without switching apps.Creating a product catalog on WhatsApp is pretty straightforward. You can add photos, descriptions, and prices for everything you sell. And with WhatsApp Payments built in, your customers can browse and buy in one place. It's like having a store in their pocket.Here's what makes mobile catalogs work so well:
WhatsApp marketing tools make the whole process smooth. When someone asks about a specific product, you can send them straight to that item in your catalog. And if they want to see more options, the whole catalog is right there in the chat.7. Analyzing Engagement Metrics to Measure SuccessNumbers tell the real story of how well your WhatsApp marketing is working. Take Petsy — they watched their campaign performance carefully and ended up making $79K in revenue. They did this by paying attention to who opened their messages, what made people buy, and how customers behaved.The trick is knowing what to measure. Open rates show you if your messages are getting noticed. Response rates tell you if people care enough to write back. And if you're sharing links to products, you'll want to track how many people click through to learn more.When you track these numbers over time, patterns start to show up. You might notice that messages sent on Sunday evenings get more responses, or that photos of puppies get more clicks than product shots alone. This kind of information helps you make your messages better and better.Evaluating Pros and Cons of Using WhatsApp in Pet Care MarketingBefore jumping into WhatsApp marketing for your pet care business, it's worth looking at both sides of the coin. Let's start with what works really well.What Works WellWhatsApp makes it super easy to connect with pet parents. They can send you a quick message asking about their pet's next grooming appointment or share a photo of their dog's skin condition to see if they need to come in. This kind of casual back-and-forth feels natural to most people, since they're already using WhatsApp with friends and family.The app also helps you respond quickly when pet parents need you. If someone's worried about their cat not eating or wants to know if a certain toy is safe, you can answer right away — maybe even send them a video showing how to use a product correctly.Things to Think AboutOf course, there are some challenges too. The biggest one is balancing privacy and marketing. Pet owners share a lot of personal information about their pets' health and care needs, so you need to be careful about how you handle that data. Making sure your team knows what they can and can't share in messages is really important.You've also got to think about security. Some people might worry about scams or spam when they get business messages on WhatsApp. That's why it's important to be clear about who you are and always communicate professionally. Building trust takes time, but it's worth the effort.When you're using WhatsApp for your pet care business, the key is finding the right balance. You want to be available and helpful, but also professional and respectful of people's privacy. When you get this balance right, WhatsApp can become one of your most valuable tools for staying connected with your clients.ConclusionFrom sending quick updates about a pet's grooming session to managing a whole product catalog, WhatsApp can help streamline your daily operations. The pet care businesses we've worked with have found that when they meet their customers where they already spend their time, good things happen naturally.Whether you're a grooming salon looking to fill your schedule, a pet store wanting to boost sales, or a vet clinic aiming to improve client communication, WhatsApp has tools that can help make your work a bit easier. And with Zoko's platform, you can manage all these features in one place.Want to see how WhatsApp could work for your pet care business? Start your 7-Day Free Trial and explore what's possible when you bring your pet care services to WhatsApp.
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