Surrey Reptile Centre: 313% Year-on-Year Growth

The challenge

Surrey Reptile Centre began as the reptile department inside Sutton Green Garden Centre's main pet shop, Pets and Supplies Ltd. It was one of a few specialist areas within a much larger general business, and owner Gareth Thomas knew it was under-performing. Reptile keeping is a specialist interest that needed to be marketed to the right audience, in the right area, rather than blended into a general pet shop's online presence. Before working with us, the department had no website or online presence of its own.

Our solution

We worked with Gareth to split the reptile department away from the main shop and build it into its own brand. That meant starting from scratch on three fronts:

• A standalone website and brand identity for Surrey Reptile Centre
• Local SEO set up and optimised for local reptile-related searches
• Ongoing local digital marketing to build visibility with the specialist customers the business needed to reach

Every recommendation was discussed and agreed with Gareth directly, rather than delivered as a fixed package, so the strategy reflected how he actually wanted to run the business.

The results

A little over a year after launch, Surrey Reptile Centre had outgrown its original space. The business increased its shop floor space three-fold, grew its team from one part-time staff member to three, and saw monthly transactions climb from around 135 to close to 300. Average transaction value more than doubled over the same period, and year-on-year growth reached 313 percent. Three-quarters of the business's income is now directly attributable to enquiries generated through the website.

“I can't stress enough how important it is to have a website professionally built by people who care and understand your business, with an agreed strategy that is delivered on time each month.”Gareth Thomas, Business Owner, Surrey Reptile Centre