The Farmer’s Dog UK: Lessons from £650K+ eCommerce Store

Today we’re diving into The Farmer’s Dog UK — a raw dog food brand based in Devon. I didn’t pre-select this, I just pulled it up completely at random. The idea is simple: walk through the site, experience it as a customer would, and break down what we can learn and apply to our own brands.

If you enjoy this style of content, give it a thumbs up, drop your comments below, and I’ll happily jump into the conversation.

Let’s get started.

First Impressions Matter

Straight away, the site grabs my attention with animations and clear visuals of dogs. Within seconds I know exactly what this business is about — raw dog food.

This is critical. When someone lands on your site, they need immediate clarity:

• Am I in the right place?

• What does this brand do?

• Is this for me?

The Farmer’s Dog nails this. If you’re a dog owner, you’ll instantly feel at home.

Branding, Clarity & Trust

Scrolling down, the brand reinforces its credibility with messages like:

• 100% British meat

• Approved by dogs

• Recyclable packaging

• Easy to defrost and serve

These are smart because they build psychological reassurance: local sourcing, eco-conscious, practical, and dog-approved. They’re hitting all the right notes for their target customer.

Niche + Passion = Strong Brand

What’s clear here is passion. You can feel that the founders genuinely care about dogs. That matters. If you’re going to niche down — whether that’s pets, health, fitness, or any category — passion gives you staying power.

From the messaging to the product shots, The Farmer’s Dog communicates: we love dogs, we care about what they eat, and we want them to be healthy.

That authenticity is something every e-commerce brand should aim for.

Product Presentation & Offers

A few things stood out on the shop pages:

• They offer trial and taster boxes — great for new customers.

• They have bulk/high-ticket options up to £200+ — also smart, because some buyers are ready to spend more, and if you don’t offer it, they can’t.

• There’s a subscribe & save option — recurring revenue is a must in consumables.

Where I think they could improve:

• Add clearer “Start Here” guidance for new customers (e.g. “Most new dog owners start with this box”).

• Use reviews and star ratings directly on product pages to boost conversions.

• Include order bumps or upsells at checkout (“Add chicken wings for £9 more”) to increase AOV.

Lead Capture & Retention

One area for improvement: lead capture. Right now, the site encourages sign-ups for promotions and offers, but it’s not super compelling.

Instead of “Sign up for offers”, I’d test something like:

• “Discover how Betty & Baxter’s health transformed with raw food — get the case study instantly.”

That’s curiosity. That’s value. That’s how you grow an email list with real intent buyers.

Remember: most people won’t buy on their first visit. If you don’t capture them, you may never see them again.

Content & Education

I love that they include a feeding guide, a raw food calculator, and blog content. This positions them as educators as well as sellers.

One tip: consider gating some of these tools behind an email opt-in. That way, you grow your list while providing genuine value.

Social Proof & Branding

Clicking through to their social channels, the brand associates itself with royalty and heritage (images of the late Queen and Prince William). That immediately elevates the perception of quality.

On top of that, the dogs themselves become ambassadors — with customer reviews featuring happy pups. That’s powerful storytelling.

If I were them, I’d double down on TikTok: short clips of dogs enjoying their food could go viral very easily and drive tons of traffic.

Conversion Optimisation Ideas

Here are some quick wins I’d test:

• One-click starter pack for new customers.

• Highlight “fan favourites” based on data.

• Order bumps & cross-sells at checkout.

• More prominent reviews/testimonials on product pages.

• Email opt-in with curiosity hook instead of just “sign up for offers.”

Final Thoughts

The Farmer’s Dog UK is doing a lot right: strong brand clarity, passion, credibility, and a well-structured product offering. With a few tweaks — mainly around conversion optimization, reviews, and list-building — they could level up even further.

For me, this was another reminder that building a brand isn’t about being the biggest. It’s about caring deeply about your niche, creating trust, and removing as much friction as possible from the buying journey.

What do you think of The Farmer’s Dog UK? Drop your thoughts in the comments — I’d love to hear them.