Furry Love goes Digital
PetTech and Pet Parenting
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DTW
During the Week, the world heaved a sigh of relief when President Biden was sworn in as 46th President of United States. After four years of “unconventional” presidency, things may finally be more “presidential” and that includes “First Pets of White House”. Yes, President Trump broke many traditions including having a pet in White House! Jill and Joe (what could be more ordinary than that) have two dogs including one from a Dog Shelter Home.
Pet Parenting is close to 400 Million USD market in india with an expected 30% CAGR. It is largely driven by animal welfare sentiments , large disposable incomes and rising trend of nuclear families. And if I may add, convenience and choices provided by plethora of online platform catering to ever-expanding needs, wants and desires of pet parents.
Platforms catering to pet industry range from pure products to pure services with a mix of service augmented products and tangibilized service. I have tried to represent the offerings on this product-service continuum in the following graphic.
Broadly speaking, the Pet/Animal companion industry could be enabled by tech-platforms in there ways- First, aggregating supply of products and services for pets; Second, organising informational resources for pet parents; and Third, enabling human-companion animals interface.
The foremost use of tech-enabled platforms has been aggregation of pet supplies and services. DogSpot which is the biggest online platform for pet supplies, accessories and other products in India sells a wide range of products manufactured by key brands such as Pedigree, Royal Canin, Whiskas and Hill’s, among others. For those pet parents with older/disabled pets, there are companies like Honest Paws which provide cannabidiol / CBD- and hemp-infused pet products to ease anxiety and nervous behavior, promote mobility and joint health, and support skin and coat health. And then there are psychic services provided to many pet owners whose pet go missing. Among those seeking services of these psychics or animal communicators are shelter homes, bereaved pet parents and animal activists. DOGTV has created patented programming for dogs to watch, learn from and be entertained. According to the platform, they have ensured that the style of the programming and the images are adapted to suit dogs’ understanding.One more interesting platform For Love of All Pets (FLOAP) provides “Every Thing Your Pet Needs” including insurance services and social media platform. I am glad that an old friend and neighbour Rachna has taken her passion for animal welfare by running her own Skylish Dog Bakery which is the “pawfect” way to show extra love and care for your doggos! More power to you, Rachna!
As in other industries transformed by platforms , information services about pet care have proliferated immensely. PetFinder is an interesting platform providing information on pets for adoption while TailsLife is a comprehensive pet care application that also helps pet parents during travel. Dog Rescue services are such great humane intervention but also point to the disturbing facet of animal abuse which is so rampant amongst some parent pet parents and general population. Animal Shelter run by large organisations like Blue Cross and even smaller initiative like Panah run by IBS Hyderabad students on IFHE Campus can go a long way in helping these tortured souls and bodies.
Third, platforms enabling human-animal interface using technology especially information and communication technologies (ICT). Multiple platforms are trying to make life of dog-parents easier. For example Puppy Mama, “is a platform for women to connect with each other and share how their dogs help them and bring joy to their lives.” whereas Dig is a, “the dog person’s dating app.” Vet AI, a pioneering platform for pets helps pet parents and vets get a comprehensive symptom checker for animal ailments. For those with restriction around pet-ownership , multiple options including virtual pets and games make it easier to feel connected with another being even when it is just digital.
If you can not even afford time & resources for virtual pet, you can always watch numerous YouTube channels or just follow #DogsOfInstagram to be in touch with furry friends. And if you are wondering about the popularity, the following Dog Reviews Food video has over 35 million views!
Use of animals in entertainment industry has attracted attention over last few decades and recent Netflix Docuseries Tiger King documented the extent of private zoo in USA. It is amazing to know that there are around 5,000 captive tigers in the US, more than the approximately 3,900 remaining in the wild in the entire world.
Alas, Tiger King' star Joe Exotic's team waited in a stretch limousine outside a federal prison for a pardon that never came and according to him President Trump again failed the “truly deserving”.
And if you need any more reasons for loving pets and being generally more humane to animals and more specifically dogs, twice in Paatal Lok, a hint of dog love saved characters from sure death.
OTW
Over the Weekend, I received an invite to discuss one of my favourite book How Will You Measure Your Life with members of Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD), Chandigarh Chapter on 27th Jan 2021. You can save the date and join the meet using the link https://meet.google.com/vro-kosf-hav
I have written about my learnings from this wonderful book by the gentle teacher-philosopher while talking about Money and Learning. It fills me with pleasure as I would be talking to my friend and mentor/elder brother Sachin Kumar and striving to unpack Clayton’s philosophy around -How Will You Measure Your Life?
I Love You
Shailendra
Very interesting how platforms are helping pet parents. Many similar brands mentioned in your post are also aplenty in Bangalore and am sure its the same across many cities. I am a proud parent of an indie and she is the best decision we made. There is a growing tribe that is promoting the adoption of Indian breeds.....I absolutely love reading Clayton Christensen...so this is on my list...thanks!
Well, sharing your thoughts w.r.t., pets and aligning them with platforms.... is just great... it also shows your another human & humble side. Furthermore, wishing best of luck for the session on 27th ..... All the best Sir. Keep sharing your thoughts with us.