Shopify for pet products
Shopify for Australian pet brands
Pet owners reorder food and treats, and they spend freely on a dog they love. We build Shopify stores with subscriptions, size and breed guidance, and shipping that copes with heavy bags and bulky beds.
Example store
Good Kelpie
A concept store for a dog brand that makes a subscription feel as easy as a pat.
What makes pet products hard to sell online
Repeat purchase
Treats and food run out on a schedule. Without a subscription or reminder, the customer might buy elsewhere next time.
Sizing
Collars, harnesses and beds need the right size for the dog. A poor size means a return and an unhappy owner.
Heavy and bulky parcels
Dog food and beds are heavy or bulky, so shipping cost shapes basket size.
Claims on health products
Products that claim to treat or prevent a condition may fall under veterinary product rules, which are different from everyday pet goods.
What we build into the store
Treat box subscription
A recurring box with flexible frequency and easy skip, using Shopify subscriptions or an app.
Size and breed finder
A measuring guide and a breed-based recommendation for collars, leads and beds.
Bundles
Starter packs for new puppies and gift sets, with stock tracked per item.
Reorder reminders
Klaviyo flows timed to bag size and feeding rate.
Personalisation
Engraved tags or names on collars, collected as line item properties.
Weight-based shipping
Rates tuned for heavy bags and bulky beds, with free shipping thresholds that protect margin.
The Australian rules we design around
Claims that a pet product treats or prevents a disease or parasite can bring it under the rules for veterinary chemical products, which are regulated differently from regular pet goods. If you are unsure which category a product falls into, check with the regulator or an adviser before writing the page. Food and treat labelling and ingredient claims also need to be accurate under consumer law.
General information, not legal advice. Check with the regulator for your situation.
Built for the repeat order
A bag of treats is a predictable purchase. A subscription with a modest saving and a simple skip button turns a one-off buyer into a regular. Reminders do the same job for customers who prefer to order manually.
Our concept store Good Kelpie shows a treat box subscription and a cheerful layout. It is a concept we designed, not a client.
Sizing and shipping
- Show how to measure a neck or a sleeping dog, with sizes in centimetres.
- Offer free exchanges for size, and state your policy clearly.
- Set weight-based rates, because heavy bags cost more to post than the flat rate usually allows.
- Use Australia Post, StarTrack or CouriersPlease, depending on parcel size. See our shipping guide.
Peaks and gifting
Christmas is a major gifting period for pet products, and Black Friday and Boxing Day bring heavy discounting. We plan gift bundles, postage cut-offs and email flows ahead of time.
Launch suits many pet brands, with Custom for larger ranges. See pricing or contact us.
What a good pet product page needs
Pet owners buy for an animal they love, so they check details carefully. The page needs to answer the practical questions first.
- Species, life stage and size range, such as puppy, adult dog or senior cat.
- Ingredients and nutritional information exactly as on the pack, plus feeding guidance by weight.
- Pack sizes with a price per kilogram or per serve, so shoppers can compare.
- Size and breed guidance for beds, collars, harnesses and toys, with measurements in centimetres.
- Safety notes on toys and chews, such as supervising play and choosing the right size.
- Reviews from owners, ideally with the pet's size and breed shown.
Be careful with health and treatment claims. Wording that suggests a product treats or prevents a condition may change how it is regulated, so keep claims modest and checked. For personalised items such as engraved tags, add a clear preview and a note that these are made to order.
Apps we use for pet stores
Pet stores run on repeat orders, so the tools are built around the reorder.
- Shopify Subscriptions, Recharge or Skio for food and treat subscriptions, with a first-order discount through selling plans.
- Klaviyo flows that use predicted next order dates to send a reorder reminder before the bag runs out.
- Judge.me, Okendo or Stamped for reviews with the pet's details.
- Shopify's local delivery and pickup settings for metro customers who order heavy bags.
- A product options app, or line item properties, for engraving and name tags.
- Shopify Flow to tag subscribers and flag heavy orders.
Weight-based shipping profiles protect your margin, because a 15 kilogram bag costs far more to send than a toy. Set weights accurately on every variant. See our shipping guide for how rates and carrier options work.
Common questions
Can I run a monthly treat box?
Yes, using Shopify subscriptions or an app, with flexible frequency and skip options.
Can I engrave pet tags?
Yes. We capture the text as a line item property and show a preview.
Can I claim a product treats fleas or joint pain?
Those claims may bring a product under veterinary chemical rules. Check with the regulator or an adviser first.
How do I ship heavy dog food?
Use weight-based rates matched to carrier prices, rather than a flat rate.
Can I sell to New Zealand?
Yes with Shopify Markets, though pet food has import rules at the destination, so check them first.
How do I handle heavy bags of food?
Enter accurate weights for every variant and use shipping profiles with weight-based rates. Consider offering local delivery or click and collect for metro customers, which Shopify supports in its shipping settings.
Can I give subscribers a discount?
Yes. Subscription selling plans in Shopify Subscriptions and the main subscription apps let you set a discount for subscribing, and a different discount on the first order if you want one.
Further reading
Guide9 min read
Klaviyo flows for an Australian Shopify store, and the Spam Act rules behind them
A handful of automated flows does most of the work in email. Set them up once, check consent properly, and let them run.
Guide9 min read
Shopify shipping in Australia: Australia Post, StarTrack and what replaced Sendle
Shipping decides whether a sale makes money. This guide covers the carriers Australian Shopify stores use, how to connect them, how to price shipping at checkout, and why Sendle is no longer on the list.
Guide9 min read
Afterpay, Zip and Shop Pay Installments on Shopify in Australia
Buy now pay later is a normal part of Australian checkout. Here is what Afterpay, Zip and Shop Pay Installments mean for a Shopify merchant: setup, fees, payouts, and what the 2025 regulation changed.
Tell us what you sell
A few lines about your store and where it's at. We reply within one business day with questions or a fixed quote.