Aquatic pets retailer swims into e-commerce territory

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — D&G Pets, a local fish and exotic pet shop in Fort Collins, Colo., is diving into e-commerce waters in an effort to retain existing customers and reach out to new ones.

The local retailer launched an online store so consumerscan purchase pet supplies from their computers or mobile devices — leveraging technology to remain competitive in a field dominated by larger pet supply chains.

"With our online store, pet owners can easily purchase a variety of pet supplies, such as aquarium lights, pumps and filters as well as automatic fish feeders and cleaning supplies," said Betty Keetley, co-owner of D&G Pets with her husband, Leonard.

At this time, the online store is mostly geared toward aquarium accessories. At the actual brick-and-mortar store, consumers can find a variety of specialty pets that include hedgehogs, hamsters, snakes and lizards, but the retailer specializes in saltwater and freshwater fish and aquatic environments.

"Our online store was developed as a way for our customers to more easily browse some of our specialty products," said Keetley. "Of course, you cannot purchase any live animals from the online store. We assume you would probably rather come in and see them for yourself first."

D&G Pets has been in business since the late seventies and features more than 7,000 gallons of aquariums chock full of a wide variety of freshwater and saltwater fish, including tropical fish. D&G Pets also supplies invertebrates as well as a number of corals and the largest selection of freshwater aquatic plants in Colorado. Much of the aquarium equipment and supplies that it stocks is now available on the online store.