Cover Story: Top Dog

Having a multichannel presence is important to PETCO, says Lazarchic. "We all know that multichannel shoppers spend more money and shop more frequently than shoppers who confine their buying to one sales channel."

Email as a Leash
To bring prospects into its stores, PETCO relies on online tools — most notably paid search and search engine optimization programs. These programs direct folks to either a pop-up window or PETCO.com, where they can sign up for monthly e-newsletters. The e-newsletters offer information about store events in their local areas, coupons they can print out and bring to local stores, and the PETCO Foundation (PETCO's nonprofit foundation).