Yes, wigs for pets. And, not just for balding cats or dogs, either. These are just for stylin' and looking cute.

It started like this – a simple Twitter from Traci Knoppe:

I quickly ran off to do a little research and found this website that offers wigs for dogs:

And, THEN of course I had to see if it was just dog owners that were nuts or if it spread across to cat owners.

Yes, cat wigs are for sale, too.

I hunted for Bird Wigs and Fish Wigs, but I couldn't find any.

As for business lessons –

1. I was very happy that each website stuck to their own niche, rather than having a line for ALL pets. That makes each site even more special in my opinion. Niche down and KNOW your market. A dog fanatic might not want to land on a store where there are pictures of cats and vice versa.

2. People WILL spend money on unusual items.

3. I LOVE the “make your own ecards” on the cat site. http://www.kittywigs.com/sendcard/index.php

4. NICE job with the Iphones app, kitty wigs site: http://www.kittywigs.com/app.html

5. Bravo on packaging Kitty Wigs! http://www.kittywigs.com/package.html

6. Kitty Wigs also has a book which is a great way to get media exposure to their online storefront.

Glamourpuss: The Enchanting World of Kitty Wigs

7. I like how the owners of Wiggles Dog Wigs include sizing information and care/washing of the wig. SMART way to lessen customer refunds.

8. The owner of Wiggles Dog Wigs was able to get on Letterman by taking a niche, and tweaking it for a new market. See? And, having a sense of humor helps you do WELL on Letterman. She's awfully cute, isn't she? And, so are the dogs.

It looks like cats aren't quite as agreeable:

Where their online businesses could be improved?

1. No affiliate program. Rats!

2. More user-generated content & photos & stories.

3. A calendar would be adorable. I'd buy one.

4. Generate posters and items using photos of the animals using the product. Like the “Make your Own Demotivator” posters here: http://diy2.despair.com/

And, of course, thanks for reading. I hope that I made you smile.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean