The sharing economy has made everything easily accessible and affordable for the millenials. With Uber, AirBNB, TaskRabbit, RelayRides and other such Apps disrupting all industries, there are more innovative ideas brimming each day. Well, this blog focuses on one of the strangest industries that has adopted this model in recent years and it is the pet industry.
Our lifestyle has made us dependent upon company of pets rather than humans. While there are endless benefits of keeping a pet, the greatest of all is that you get a loyal friend. However, not all are lucky to befriend the cute creatures. Because of the hectic work schedules, pet adoption had always been an issue for the working individuals. The good news is technology thrives on the idea of solving problems faced at a large scale. Now, looking upon the several possibilities that technology could offer, Pet Apps came into the picture. A Pet App is a smart solution that offers different pet-oriented services for pet owners like dog watching, dog walking, dog-sharing etc. Other than Pet Apps, companies invented smart solutions that can help owners interact with their pets or dispense treats in their absence. Majority of the pet applications focus on Dogs because of the large number of dog owners across the world. That being said, these applications can be used for other kind of pets as well depending upon the offerings.
Smart Pet Apps
Pet Apps can have different working flows, depending upon the requirement of the business owner. Some Apps help the pet owners in connecting with people in nearby areas who wish to own a pet but can’t spare the time or afford buying one. There are some Pet Apps that let you keep an eye on your dog with cameras installed at your place and video access on your mobile devices.
Smart Apps for pets enable pet owners to do much more than just watching their pet on their mobile devices. Petchatz comes with a smart solution that dispenses treats for your pets while you are away. There can be TV to keep your pets entertained. Also, some smart apps have speaker and a microphone using which you can talk to your pets.
Tracking Apps come with wearable devices such as pet tags. A smart pet tag would contain sensors that let you track your pet’s location on your phone. Never lose your pet again with these uber cool gadgets, made just for your pets. Clearly, the pet care industry is leveraging the benefits of technology for its multi-billion dollar market.
Pet Licenses
When it comes to pet-sharing, you would probably require a pet license. In 2016, a single mother named Lisa Jacobson earned $10,000 on Rover which is a popular dog-boarding app that offers other services too. A complaint was lodged against her for running a business without any licence. Thus, the Home-based Pet Animal Care Technology Platform Act came into existence. Under this act, it is legal for anyone age 18 or older to watch up to three pets at once through an online pet-sitting platform without a commercial license. So, if you are into pet-sitting, ensure that you have a license if you are taking care of more than 3 pets.
Increasing Demand Of Pet Apps
The demand for pet sharing services is wide as there is diversification of services that you can offer to the pert-owners. Eric Husk, founder of City Dog Share mentioned about the type of users in one of his interviews, “A variety of people use the program. Parents with kids who don’t have as much time for their dogs anymore, as well as parents with kids who host sleepovers at their house and bring a couple dogs along for play,”. He also said that their organization being non-profit has made them more popular among all kinds of people.
The idea of pet adoption is now very much feasible with the use of Pet Apps. This trend is spreading worldwide at a great pace. Organizations can take first mover advantage in specific countries, where the awareness has just begun.
