The pet industry, which encompasses various markets and offerings, continues to undergo improvements and rapid transformation due to factors like evolving trends and changing consumer needs. This transformation is largely driven by technological advancements that impact pet care, business operations, and more.

To remain competitive, franchise businesses in the pet industry must stay on top of the latest technology trends so they can equip their franchisees with the tools needed for success that align with pet parents’ needs and expectations. For both current and prospective franchisees, being aware of how technology is reshaping the pet industry can be crucial for distinguishing yourself in the market and enhancing customer relationships.

Keep reading to explore some key technological advancements that the pet industry is adopting in areas including pet health, wellness, customer relationships, and more.

TECH-POWERED MONITORING

You may be familiar with wearable technology for humans, like Fitbit, but now pets also benefit from these advancements. Many pet owners want to monitor their pets’ health, and now, various digital options can provide valuable insights into their well-being.

PET WEARABLES

The pet wearable market is growing, offering products, often added to a pet’s collar, that share wellness and fitness-based metrics (e.g., heart rate, activity level, calorie count, and more).

Many pet parents are eager to learn about their pets’ well-being, especially since a discrepancy has been found between pet parents’ beliefs and their pets’ actual health status. For instance, while 60% of dogs in America are considered overweight and obese, the same amount of pet parents believe their dog is an ideal weight.

Although there can be a lack of detailed understanding of a pet’s health, which is what many pet wearables aim to offer, 76% of global pet parents report that they’d make major life changes for their pets if it were necessary, and seven in ten dog owners place more care for their dog’s health and happiness over their own. This highlights the ongoing trend of pet humanization, illustrating the common goal of providing pets with healthy, happy lives.

At Dogtopia, we launched our DASH activity monitor powered by PitPat. This wearable technology provides personalized data about a dog’s health and wellness by tracking their activity levels, the distance they travel, the calories they burn, and more, both at home and daycare. With this monitor, which is easily accessible via an app, pet parents can gain valuable insights into their pup’s activity levels and overall health and take necessary preventive measures to enhance their dog’s well-being for a longer, healthier life. The DASH device was rigorously tested to withstand a multi-dog playroom environment and allows parents to finally get an understanding of their dog’s day, both at home and while at daycare. DASH in a playroom setting is a first-of-its-kind in the dog daycare industry.

AI FOR PREDICTIVE HEALTH RISKS

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated across various industries, and pet care is no exception. Many pet parents are seeking AI-driven solutions to help improve their pup’s lifestyle, including health trackers that can monitor behavior and other health-related data and use AI to convert it into a profile that offers unique insight into their dog’s well-being. Since the AI “learns” from this monitoring, it can detect when things might stray from course, including alerting pet parents to signs of stress or anxiety.

The global market for AI technology in animal health is growing, estimated to reach $3.76 billion by 2030, with a 19.09% compound annual growth rate between 2023 and 2030. While it’s important to note that diagnoses shouldn’t be made strictly based on AI-driven data, it can provide insight into pets.

One reason why predictive AI can be appealing to pet parents is preventative care. A correlation has been found that strongly bonded dog owners perform preventative care for their furry friends than those in the lower and mid-bond tier. This helps highlight the importance pet parents place on gaining deeper insights into pet health and suggests why the use of AI-powered tools to interpret that data is becoming increasingly popular.

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SMART EVERYDAY TECH PRODUCTS

Technology is transforming the everyday tasks that pet parents perform, such as feeding and interacting with their furry friends.

AUTOMATED FOOD DISPENSERS

Automated feeders are evolving beyond simply dispensing food. For instance, they can now deliver specific portions based on a pet’s diet, age, and health conditions. This billion-dollar industry is picking up steam, growing from an estimated worth of $6.05 billion in 2022 to $13.1 billion in 2032.

From connecting to WIFI to the ability to control the food dispenser via an app, automatic pet feeders are growing in interest as smart home technologies are also gaining popularity. With busy lifestyles, particularly among working millennials—representing the highest share of pet ownership in the U.S.—these advanced automated food dispensers can be particularly appealing, helping to free up time in their morning and evening routines.

These advanced automated dispensers also offer portion control features that can help manage a pet’s weight to help keep them aligned with wellness goals. This may be of interest to pet parents who are concerned about their pet’s diet and weight.

PET CAMERAS

The global pet monitoring camera market, valued at approximately $498.7 million in 2023, is expected to grow into a $1.7 billion industry by 2030. This growth highlights the importance many pet parents place on monitoring their pets when they are apart.

The latest technological advancements in this area include features like AI-driven pet facial recognition and behavior analysis, which can distinguish between multiple pets and alert owners to any unusual activities. Additional features often include sound and motion detection, night vision, two-way audio, treat dispensers, video history, and the ability to connect with other smart devices, such as virtual assistants.

At Dogtopia, we recognize how important a fly-on-the-wall perspective can be to many pet parents, which is why all Dogtopia locations offer live webcams in each playroom that allow pet parents to check in on their dogs throughout the day via our website and mobile app. Watching their dogs play and learn with their furry friends can offer reassurance and confidence, which our franchisees can provide their customers to help boost peace of mind.

DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS FOR PET BUSINESSES

Franchise owners who leverage technological advancements can often make more confident data-based decisions. For example, modern customer relationship management software can provide those working in the pet industry with valuable insights about their customers, including information such as preferences, pet names, purchase history, and other key details. By leveraging this data, franchise businesses can create a more personalized customer experience, ultimately enhancing customer relationships.

At Dogtopia, we’ve invested more than $7 million in a new technology stack that supports our franchise network and improves the customer experience at our daycares. Our daycare management system, powered by Salesforce, allows our franchisees to better manage our services (daycare, boarding, and spa) and appointments, transactions and billing, customer relationship management, and more.

LEARN MORE: The Dogtopia Difference: Advanced Technology

Automated inventory management systems are a relatively new tool that can help businesses in the pet industry. By operating with advanced algorithms and real-time tracking, business owners can optimize their inventory levels, reduce waste and stockouts, predict sales trends, improve forecasting, and help make sure they have the inventory for in-demand products. As a result, this technology can offer detailed analytics and integrate with a point-of-sale system, which can help streamline operations.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FRANCHISING WITH DOGTOPIA

If you are considering investing in the booming pet industry, see how Dogtopia can be the right fit for you. To learn more about us, the industry, and your investment, check out our FAQ page for details. Meet our franchisee requirements? Please fill out our online inquiry form to connect with our team.