Your shelf is your most powerful salesperson. It works 24 hours a day, never calls in sick, and can either guide a shopper seamlessly from curiosity to purchase — or confuse them into walking out empty-handed. In the raw and freeze-dried category, where most shoppers arrive with questions rather than decisions, how you lay out your set can mean the difference between a category that leads your store and one that underperforms its potential.
After years of working with specialty retailers across the country, our merchandising team has identified the planogram principles that consistently move the needle on raw and freeze-dried sales. Here's what works.
The opportunity: Raw and freeze-dried pet food carries gross margins 15–25% higher than traditional kibble and canned formats. A well-planned set doesn't just improve the shopper experience — it materially improves your store's profitability per linear foot of shelf space.
The Three Zones of a High-Performing Set
Think of your raw and freeze-dried section as having three distinct zones, each serving a different purpose in the shopper journey.
Zone 1 — Eye level: your hero products
Eye level is prime real estate. Place your highest-margin, best-story brands here — specifically, your flagship raw complete and freeze-dried complete products. These are the products you want every shopper considering the category to interact with first. Brands that invest in staff training and provide strong point-of-sale materials are ideal candidates for this zone.
Zone 2 — Mid shelf: depth and variety
Mid-shelf is for shoppers who have engaged with the category and are exploring options — different proteins, formats, and price points. This is where novel protein offerings (duck, venison, rabbit) belong, as these are typically sought out rather than stumbled upon. Raw patties and freeze-dried mixes fit well here.
Zone 3 — Top and bottom: access and entry
Top shelf works well for smaller, lighter items — freeze-dried toppers and food enhancers that serve as an entry point for shoppers not yet ready to commit to a full raw diet. Bottom shelf is ideal for larger bulk sizes and frozen formats that require staff assistance anyway, reducing the need for premium placement.
Specific Principles That Drive Sales
The Role of Signage and Shelf Talkers
In a category where most shoppers are transitioning from kibble, the biggest barrier to purchase is uncertainty — not price. Shelf talkers that answer common questions proactively ("Is raw safe? What's the difference between raw and freeze-dried? How do I transition my dog?") dramatically reduce the need for staff intervention on every sale and give shoppers the confidence to put a product in their basket.
At ZenPets, we develop custom shelf talker programs for every retailer partner who carries our raw and freeze-dried brands. These are designed to match your store's aesthetic and address the specific questions your customers ask most frequently. Ask your account manager to set one up for your next reset.
One rule above all others
Whatever planogram you implement, keep it clean and fully stocked. An empty shelf in the raw section signals that a product is out of stock — but it also signals that your store may not be a reliable source. In a category where shoppers are feeding their pet daily and cannot easily substitute, out-of-stocks erode trust disproportionately. Build your ordering cadence around your fastest-moving SKUs and use your ZenPets inventory portal to set low-stock alerts before you hit zero.
Ready to reset your set? ZenPets provides complimentary planogram consultations and custom display units for qualifying retailer accounts. Our merchandising team will assess your current set and provide a category-specific recommendation within one week. Contact your account manager or reach out at info@zenpets.org to get started.