Now more than ever, pet parents around the world are spending more time and money on their furry companions. Whether it’s dressing your dog up in cute outfits, buying automatic feeders for your cat, or signing-up for a health and wellness tracking app for pets, people want to give their pets the life they deserve! As a result of this, the pet industry is booming. Just in 2022 alone, pet parents spent upwards of 136.8 billions of dollars on a variety of services.
Not only are pets an integral part of many people’s lives, but the ability to give your dog a more pampered and loving life is more readily available. There are many avenues that pet parents use to find products and services that will keep their dog happy and healthy. Many pet parents have welcomed the use of AI in their homes to help improve their pets life, including tracking devices and cameras.
AI programs can also support businesses in a customer service capacity — our own program AskVERA can effortlessly and accurately answer questions about customers’ beloved fur babies. AskVERA is a revolutionary customer engagement platform based on 1.5 million interactions between pet parents and vet professionals; the collection of knowledge uses AI to help provide important information for pet owners looking to give their pets the best life possible.
If you are wondering whether AI tools can really help your pet business and enhance the products that you create, the answer depends on what exactly it is that you do! If you think that it will enhance the customer experience, keep reading to learn more.
What Is AI?
AI, or artificial intelligence, is the development of computer systems to be able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. It is teaching computers to mimic human intelligence (and in recent history, human language learning) in order to complete tasks on their own without requiring human-mediated guidance. In many cases, the goal of AI is to react in real-time to situations to come up with accurate solutions.
Machine learning is different from artificial intelligence but can still be used hand-in-hand. Machine learning works to come up with algorithms that can be implemented to run on their own. This kind of automation can adapt to keep up with the changes as the ai capabilities continue to change.
While there may always be some push back on the use of artificial intelligence, you can think of it like this: AI is here to assist you and make your life easier, not to take it over. The goal of AI is to help, and figuring out where it can fit into your business may help your systems run more smoothly.
How AI Can Help the Pet Industry
The pet industry is always changing, and with changes comes advances to current products. There are various companies that are working towards the same goal, and to keep up with these advancements you have to learn how your business can adapt to the same changes.
Some of the most popular uses of AI technology in the pet industry are related to health and wellness, but security and safety has a similar demand.
For Pet Brands
Customer Support Chatbots
AI chatbots can offer numerous benefits for pet brands, especially with the right data implementation and setup.
Virtually all AI chatbots can provide instant and round-the-clock customer support, eliminating the need for customers to wait for human assistance, but often making it available as needed. This not only provides immediate gratification to customers seeking answers, but also serves as an efficient screening and routing tool that can help get the customer to the right support team.
Additionally, chatbots can be setup in a way that makes them efficient brand ambassadors for your company — an ideal setup can pull not only general information, but features and recommendations specific to your brand.
With these insights in mind, we designed our own AI chatbot: AskVERA. AskVet’s AI chatbot is made specifically to support businesses in the pet industry, including veterinary clinics, shelters, insurance companies, and other pet brands.
Pulling data from over 1.5 million interactions between pet professionals and customers, while also utilizing the data made available by modern AI language learning models, AskVERA’s integration into business platforms allows customers to access valuable pet information instantly, establishing the business as a reliable and customer-centric leader. With AskVERA, businesses can provide exceptional customer service and stay ahead in this competitive market.
For Pet Parents
Trackers
Pet tracking devices have been developing and advancing for several years. We’ve come from a simple engraved tag with a home address and phone number, to apps that can share the precise location of your pet to multiple users. Implementing services like this into your products (if applicable) can increase buyer confidence.
Many pet trackers also include algorithms that are able to detect changes in an animal’s behavior. They can monitor sleep patterns, activity levels, thirst levels, and much more, so that if there are any changes, the owner is relayed that information so they can take action (likely sooner than later).
Smart Feeders
Another way businesses are using AI in their products is with automatic devices like smart feeders. While the majority of smart feeders used to just dispense food at specific times, now the technology behind them is advancing.
Using AI to enhance a product that is already well loved can bolster a business’s position as a thought leader in the space. Good health and nutrition is essential to help pets maintain a long and happy life, and people are now more than ever willing to spend more to get the latest technology that secures their pet’s well-being.
Smart feeders now have the capability to customize a pet’s meals, schedule them, make sure the right amount is coming out, and even monitor the pet’s eating habits. Technology that can understand when there is an issue can help pet parents to stay on top of their pet’s health.
Cameras
Security and safety are two things that pet parents consider daily. We don’t want our pets getting out — we want to make sure that when they are home alone that they are safe, and we want to be alerted if there is an issue when we’re not around.
Cameras allow pet parents to always have an eye on what’s going on at home. Video analytics are now capable of alerting owners to unusual behaviors that their pet is exhibiting. Rather than owners doing paranoid camera checks on the hour, AI-assisted applications can effectively watch cameras for them.
AI and Your Business
When you’re considering AI systems for your business, you have to think about what products of yours would be advanced significantly if you were to implement AI into them. You have to understand how AI technology works in order to see the benefits.
Don’t forget, AI isn’t meant to take over your business, but instead help you to enhance it!
Ready to learn more about AskVet’s revolutionary pet brand-supportive chatbot? Get in touch with us today to get started.
Sources:
Pet Industry Market Size, Trends & Ownership Statistics | American Pet Products Association
