A pet apparel brand is judged on one number before any other: the share of orders that come back because the garment did not fit. Dogs are not shaped like sizes. A dachshund and a beagle can weigh the same and need completely different coats, and a shopper who picks by breed name instead of by measurement has already started a return.
So the work begins at the size chart. Back length from the base of the neck to the base of the tail, chest girth at the deepest point, neck girth, and a plain note about which of those three decides the fit for each garment. Then it moves to the calendar, because pet clothing is a short season stacked on top of a long one. The autumn and winter coat window is sharp and unforgiving, the summer window for cooling vests and sun shirts is smaller, and the costume and festive-jumper weeks arrive with hard shipping cut-offs and a gift buyer who has never measured a dog in their life.
We work with brands that already sell pet clothing online. The growth plan is free and written for your store. If you want us to carry it out, the fee is flat and monthly.
Almost nobody browses pet clothing. Something happens first. The weather turned and the whippet is shivering on the morning walk. The vet said the older dog is stiff in the cold. The puppy has outgrown last year's coat. A rescue arrived with a thin coat and no undercoat. Halloween is in three weeks. Each of those arrivals wants a different garment and a different promise.
The first thing the shopper looks for is a photo of a dog shaped like theirs. A coat modelled only on a labrador tells a greyhound owner nothing, and a long-backed breed owner will leave rather than guess. The second thing is the measurement guide, and whether it asks for a tape measure or for a breed.
Then come the practical details. Is there an opening for a harness lead, and does it line up with a front-clip harness as well as a back-clip one. Is the underbelly covered for a male dog without soaking. Is it waterproof or shower resistant. Can it go in the washing machine after a muddy field.
Gift buyers behave differently again. They do not have the measurements, they are working to a delivery date, and they want a size guide by weight or a gift receipt. Both audiences are worth serving, but not with the same page.