1. FitPET
Americans love their pets. In 2011, the
pet supply market (not including food and treats) grew
to over $10 billion. Currently, 64% of U.S. households
own a pet and spend an average of $81.74 each month
just on pet supplies.
However, there is an epidemic
threatening the health of our
furry friends. Of the all the dogs and cats in
America, over 60% are overweight or obese. Excess
weight in animals leads to severe health issues
including diabetes, high blood pressure, and a 15%
reduction in total life span. Right now, owners of obese
pets face a difficult task and limited product options -
at this point these consist only of reduced-calorie food,
treats, and activity-based services such as doggy “fat
camp” that can cost over $200 dollars a week.
Our proposal for a new, seed-stage venture, FitPet
is a product offering and pet fitness brand that
empowers consumers to get their
family friend back in shape easily
and affordably.
Through our quantitative and qualitative research, we interviewed many owners
of obese animals. By combining our knowledge of this market with a complete
understanding of the consumer’s pain points, we were able to find a specific
target who will be very interested in FitPet. We call them:
Pressured pet parents
Our mantra:
“A fit pet is a happy pet.”
•Young Adults (Ages 18-34) • Skew female •HHI 30k+
Business summary
MARKET OVERVIEW
“My pet is my best friend.”
Their pets are part of their family - they are pet parents, not
pet owners. When their pets are diagnosed as overweight,
they feel terrible: guilty, powerless, overwhelmed, and
desperate to save their friend.
“I barely have time to count my own calories, let alone my dog’s.”
PPP’s are in the midst of building a career, social, and family life - their
time is valuable and they are looking for convenience, accessibility,
and ease of use in all of their pet care products.
“I feel so bad that I can’t find time to walk my dog
during the week, but with my crazy schedule, it’s
just easier to pay someone to do it.”
PPP’s skew higher on spending money on pet-related
services such as grooming, boarding, dog walkers, pet
day care, and also index higher on purchasing organic
or natural pet food and treats.
By our calculations, our market includes around
9.5 million people. Keep in mind, this is our
initial target and the number will expand as
brand recognition grows.
Some of the Pressured Pet Parents favorite pet care resources include:
The Pressured Pet Parents are tech savvy, most likely own a smartphone, and use
lifestyle management apps and devices such as the Nike+ FuelBand and Lark.
2. FitPET
Thank you for taking the time to review our entry.
-Team TARDIS (and our dogs, Rudy and Miles)
The FitPet system is made of three parts that may be purchased separately or as a package. Price will be competitive within the category.
1. Dog collar tracks intensity and duration of activity
2. The collar has bluetooth/wifi connectivity and transmits the data to a compatible tech device.
3. Data is transmitted to FitPet digital hub (HTML5 enabled website and app) where it is translated into “food
earned”, based on dog’s current and goal weights, breed requirements, and other vet-approved information such
as recommended walk duration, etc.
4. The FitPet digital hub pushes notifications to the owner’s smartphone such as
“Puppy Needs a Long Walk”, “No Treats for Me Tonight!” and badges such as “Good Dog! 5% of Goal Weight
Reached” - these can be shared via social media.
5. After calculations are made, a wifi signal transmits to the food bowl, which automatically dispenses the
“earned food” at predetermined intervals.
PRODUCT DETAILS
REQUIRED TECHNOLOGY
1. A bluetooth/wifi enabled collar that tracks
and transmits pet caloric expenditure.
Think of it as Nike+ FuelBand for pets.
2. A digital hub and HTML5 app that
allows for consistency across platforms
and ease of updates.
The technology required to produce FitPet is pre-existing. Our product simply combines wifi, automatic feeders, and calorie trackers in a creative new way;
it is centered around a unique selling point and strong brand, with the mission to relieve a specific consumer pain point. It will be easily licensed and
manufactured using third party vendors. Our Advisory Board will include subject matter experts in digital production, the pet supply industry (including
distributors), and respected veterinarians.
UVP: FitPet is a holistic system that makes getting your pet back in shape easy and fun. Clip on the collar, fill up the bowl, and FitPet takes care of the rest.
Note on competitive set: FitPet is not only a new product, but creates an entirely new product category. Nothing close to this exists at the moment.
FINANCIALS
Yum.
For our initial seed stage, we are seeking $750, 000. This will be used to begin product/prototype development, purchase appropriate licensing, start
building relationships with suppliers, and begin the branding process over the next 18 months. We have located several pet supply manufacturers in Virginia
that would be appropriate partners, and the FitPet corporate offices will be located in Richmond, Virginia. At this time we expect the venture to break even
within three years of incorporation. Estimated financials put annual revenue between eight and fifteen million per year for the first three years of producing
product.
3. A digitally controlled automatic
feeder that gathers information from pet
activity and feeds the pet accordingly.