Overview | Sharing the Love Pet Adoption Programs

Overview | Sharing the Love Pet Adoption Programs


Sharing the Love | Adoption Programs & Bundles

From the moment Astro was just an idea scribbled on a napkin we had a vision that someday we would be able to create a platform that would help members of the pet industry orchestrate positive contributions to the world of Rescue and Pet Adoptions. FINALLY the day is here where we can realize that dream! 

This platform is a true collaborative effort between the Brand Manufacturers that we all love (who have shown inspiring generosity and an eagerness to participate), Local Rescues & Shelters (who are doing the good work uniting pets with their people), the Indy Pet Retailer (that's you!- who are the heroes ensuring the nutritional health and well being of our pets), our Distributor Partners (who also have been at the forefront of helping us realize this dream), and Astro Loyalty.

What Are Adoption Bundle Programs?

  1. Astro has been working with our Brand Manufacturer Partners to design special programs to help welcome new pets (Dog, Cat, Bird, Small Animal, Horse, etc) and their pet parents to your store. These Programs reward Free Goods that will help to get your new or current customer started on the right path in caring for their new pet. And we're not talking samples here, we're talking full-size products! So far we have a nice list of takers and it keeps growing!
  2. These items are added to Pet Adoption Programs on Astro, which will be grouped under their own section with your Offers menu.
  3. Each Brand Manufacturer will have their own program for the Item Type (Kibble, Raw, Litter, Treat, Toy, Supplement) that they are giving away and the Species (Dog, Cat, Rabbit, Chinchilla, Gerbil, Rat, Mouse, Guinea Pig) that they are giving that item to. 
  4. As a Retailer, you will be able to enroll in the programs that interest you.
  5. When a new Pet Parent arrives at your store, you will be able to hook them up with full-size Manufacturer Sponsored Free Goods to help them get started on their pet parenting journey. And because you will most likely have at least the Food and Treats covered as Free Goods in your Pet Adoption Bundle, you can help them out with the other necessary and fun accessories like Collars, Leashes, Harnesses, Food/Water Bowls, ID Tags, Beds, Crates, Toys, etc., etc.! 
  6. The best thing that we can do for these New Pet Parents is to give them the support they need to ensure their pets are happy and healthy in the years to come, and what better people to help ensure this than those in the Indy Pet Community! We believe that not only will you gain new customers for life, but you will gain a stronger bond with the members of your community by Sharing the Love.

How Do Pet Adoption Programs Work at my Store?

  1. Start by Enrolling in the Pet Adoption Programs that interest you. 
  2. Market your new Adoption Programs to your customers and your local friends in Rescue using the Marketing Suite (optional but strongly advised- and fun!).
  3. When a new Pet Parent comes into your store, let them know about your customizable Adoption Bundles, then look them up under Checkout or add them to Astro as a New Customer.
  4. Type either "astro[species name]" or "New Pet - [species name, i.e., Dog]" onto their Pet Owner account and hit Enter
  5. Record the Name of the Rescue Group or Shelter they adopted their pet from and then choose the Free Goods they want- one from each category (Kibble, Can/Wet Diets, Freeze-Dried/Raw Diets, Hay, Treats, Supplements, Supplies, Toys, etc.). 
  6. Redeem the Free Goods in Astro.
  7. Give the New Pet Parent their Free Rewards! If you haven't already, find out if there is anything else their new pet needs today.
  8. All Free Goods redeemed via these programs will automatically report to your chosen distributor for credit reimbursement

Who Qualifies as a New Pet Owner, and what counts as an Adopted Pet?

A New Pet Owner is someone who has welcomed a new pet into their home within the last couple of months. Specifically, we think, given the current circumstances (COVID-19 quarantines), that as long as a pet was adopted in the year 2020, they qualify. But we will leave the specifics of this up to you. 

When a New Pet Adoption Reward is redeemed, it will save the date the reward was redeemed on. This will be recorded as the Adoption Date. If the date the customer adopted their pet is different from today's date, then add the date of adoption to the Additional Notes. We will go over this in greater detail in the How to Redeem article. 

An Adopted Pet can be any pet that has been welcomed into the Pet Owner's home and has not lived with that Pet Owner in the past. 
This includes, but is not limited to:
  1. 501c3 Rescue Agency
  2. Animal Shelter
  3. Private Party Rehome
  4. Stray (Legal Stray Hold Fulfilled)
  5. In-Store (Small Animal Only)
If a Foster Parent wants to partake in this program, the best way they can do so is by referring the person who adopts their foster pet to your store so they can redeem their New Pet Adoption Reward.
If you want to add your own parameters about what constitutes a New Pet Owner and an Adopted Pet at your store, you are more than welcome to do so. We want this platform to be as flexible as possible for you so it can help you support and care for your customers and their pets in a way in which you are comfortable. 
The only rule that is enforced in Astro is that a New Pet Owner cannot redeem more than one New Pet Adoption Bundle for the Same Species within 365 days.
  1. If a New Pet Owner adopts ( 2 ) dogs within the same year, they will only be able to receive ( 1 ) New Pet Dog Adoption Bundle at your store.
  2. But if a New Pet Owner adopts ( 1 ) dog and ( 1 ) cat within the same year, they will be able to redeem ( 1 ) New Pet Dog Adoption Bundle and ( 1 ) New Pet Cat Adoption Bundle
  3. Once a year has passed between a specific species' adoption, they will once again qualify to redeem a New Pet Adoption Bundle for that species. 

What is a Pet Adoption Bundle?

This is the really cool part! We have designed these programs in such a way that you can put together really cool Bundles of Free Goods for your customers!
At my store, we used to make New Puppy and New Kitten Bundles to help new pet owners cover both the essentials and the fun stuff in one purchase. I had so much fun putting these baskets of goodies together! They used to include food and treat samples along with some toys that the customer would purchase. But now you can go one step further, and rather than just stuffing New Pet Bundles/Baskets with samples, you can include Full-Size Products! 
  1. Pet Adoption Programs are categorized according to Category:
    -Kibble
    -Cans/Wet Diets
    -Freeze-Dried/Raw Diets/Dehydrated
    -Hay
    -Treats
    -Toys
    -Supplies
    -Supplement
  2. Species: (Dog, Cat, Rabbit, Chinchilla, Gerbil, Rat, Mouse, Guinea Pig).
  3. When you enroll in a Pet Adoption Program, it will tell you what Category/Species it falls under. For example, "Kibble - Dog," "Treat - Cat," "Rabbit - Supplies," and so on. 
  4. When a New Pet Owner is eligible to redeem a Pet Adoption Reward, they will be able to choose one free good from each Category/Species combo.
    1. For instance, if you enrolled in two different Dog Kibble Pet Adoption Programs, one for Monster Naturals and the other for Best Friend Dinners, then your customer will need to choose between the two brands, and most likely, they will need to choose a specific formula within their chosen brand. So they would end up with something like Monster Naturals Grain Free Beef rather than a bag of both Monster Naturals and Best Friend Dinners
    2. If you are enrolled in a Dog Kibble, Dog Treat, and Dog Toy Program, then the customer can choose to redeem an Adoption Bundle that consists of ( 1 ) Free Dog Kibble Item, ( 1 ) Free Dog Treat Item, and ( 1 ) Free Dog Toy Item.
      1. They also have the option to redeem for only ( 1 ) Free Dog Treat Item and ( 1 ) Free Dog Toy Item if they decide they do not want to partake in the free bag of food. 

Bounce Back Coupons

Several of the manufacturers who are publishing Adoption Programs would like to go one step further in helping you ensure that your New Pet Owner customer will return to your store once they have finished the free goods they took home. This is where Bounce Back Coupons come into play. 

A customer will not be able to redeem both the Adoption Program and the Bounce Back Coupon in the same transaction, they are going to have to come back to your store in order to redeem the Coupon. A Bounce Back Coupon earned at your store can only be redeemed at your store. 

When a New Pet Owner redeems an Adoption Program that has a Bounce Back Coupon associated with it, then they will be automatically emailed a Coupon that they can use at your store when they return. In most instances, a  Bounce Back Coupon will give the customer $off an item related to the Adoption Program Item they chose to redeem initially. 

Example of How a Bounce Back Coupon Works

  1. You have enrolled in a Monster Naturals Adoption Program for Dog Kibble at your store.
  2. In the Description of that Adoption Program, there is mention of a Bounce Back Coupon.
  3. You have a customer come in who tells you they adopted a new dog and need supplies. You tell them about the Adoption Bundles, and they choose the Monster Naturals Dog Kibble.
  4. When you redeem the Adoption Bundle, you are asked to enter the customer's email address.
  5. Once you have finished the transaction, the customer will receive an email from Astro that includes info about the Bounce Back Coupon. The customer will be told that in order to redeem this coupon, they must return to your store. 
  6. When the customer returns to your store, and you look up their Astro Pet Owner Account, you will see their pending coupon waiting for them.
  7. The Coupon will not become redeemable until you scan the item they are required to purchase. It works just like redeeming an MFG Sponsored Coupon
  8. If the item promoted in the Coupon is part of a Frequent Buyer Program, then they will also get a new punch (purchase credit) on their Frequent Buyer card.
  9. Now they are off and running and earning rewards at your store! Oh, happy day!

Still, have questions? Check out our FAQ Section Here.

Restricted Accounts will not be able to participate in the Adoption Bundles unless it is for the brand the account is restricted to. If you would like to activate your account to be able to participate in other Frequent Buyer brands and Adoption bundles, check out this article: Activating Your Astro Account

Join us for a Webinar on Sharing the Love!

Live Webinar scheduled for December 1st, 2021. On-Demand Webinar available anytime after December 1, 2021. Use the form below to register and view. 



Or, if YouTube is more your style, check out this video where we go over Sharing the Love and how to best promote it at your store.



In this webinar, we focus on the idea and intention behind "Sharing the Love". We visit the My Astro Webpage & the Astro Marketing Suite. We discuss best practices for "Sharing the Love" on your Social Media Pages - after all, Instagram is the heart of "Sharing the Love"! We provide instructions on how to use the Canva Template that was created by your Astro Marketing Team and inspired by one of our very own Rockstar Retailers! This template is for a New Pet Checklist that can be shared with new pet owners when they come into your store. And finally, we go over how to communicate with your Sharing the Love recipients via the Marketing Suite.
Find out more about Sharing the Love by visiting https://www.astroloyalty.com/adopt Canva Template for New Pet Checklist. We go over how to use this template in both the YouTube video above and the on-demand webinar. Astro Marketing Webinar recorded September 9, 2021. Register for future Marketing Webinars here.