By Sharath Babu Nagarajan
Read to learn about the digital transformation in the Pet Industry and how it is shaping the way the industry functions.
With Indian pet care market growing at an astounding rate of 14%, making it one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. In today’s millennial & Gen-Z era, pets are the preferred choice of parenthood. Pets are becoming an integral part of the family and as a result, the importance given to their care has become increasingly demanding.
Unfortunately, the fast-paced growth of the pet population is creating a wedge between the vet-pet ratio of approximately 1:5000. This indicates severe stress in availing medical attention in time, thus, leading to delayed diagnosis. In addition, there are other issues such as non-existent veterinary support staff unlike the human side, lower standards of veterinary education, lack of availability of reliable equipment at scale etc., which significantly impact the quality of pet care.
Teleconsultation: Bridging the Gap
Gone are the days when pet parents had to schedule appointments weeks in advance, ensure long wait times at the vet clinic, and deal with stressed-out pets. New-age companies have stepped up their game and curated qualified, experienced & trusted veterinarians across India. With the help of technology combined with medical expertise, pet parents are now witnessing 80% of their pets’ health concerns being successfully treated from the comfort of their homes.
Teleconsultation Benefits:
- Immediate Access: Through today’s high-quality cameras available even in basic phones, HD Video & audio calls give veterinarians better insights, thus, improving the speed and accuracy of remote diagnosis. There are few companies in India who have developed their own mobile apps to provide the aforementioned features along with 24-hour post-consultation chat support, e-prescriptions etc. all within a single platform.
- Reduced Stress: Many pets become anxious or agitated in the clinical setting. Especially in their state of illness, their stress levels get elevated. With technology, enabling the first round of diagnosis via teleconsultation allows them to remain in their familiar surroundings while achieving the desired outcome.
- Convenience: Imagine driving through the city traffic after work to the pet clinic. Your pet and you are both under stress. Moreover, whether it is a weekend, public holiday, festive season, or late-night emergency, teleconsultation proves to be your safety net to seek immediate medical support.
- Digitized Records: Whether it is an e-prescription or vaccination records, the new age pet health-tech-centric mobile apps help you refer back to historical records at any point in time. All subsequent consultations can easily refer to these records for faster & accurate diagnosis.
E-Commerce: The Petcare Supply Revolution
With today’s available logistical infrastructure, leveraging e-commerce for the pet care industry is starting to have a profound impact. Pet parents are now ordering pet supplies, medications and even prescription diets with a few clicks.
E-Commerce Benefits
Wide Selection: With companies in India foraying into E-commerce for health care products and medicines, veterinarians and pet parents now have the liberty to make the right choice of effective products for faster cure rather than relying on the limited available products in their area.
Convenience: With Teleconsultation kicking in its immense benefits, doorstep delivery of the prescribed medicines has become just as easy as Amazon or Swiggy deliveries. You might rather spend quality time comforting your beloved pet during these times rather than being stuck in traffic trying to find a pet pharmacy.
Expert Reviews: Online platforms often feature customer reviews and ratings, helping pet parents make informed decisions about the products that are being purchased.
Power of Amalgamation
With the power of technology placed in the hands of veterinarians, their triage efficiency has skyrocketed. The domain experts are now connected better than ever to the pet parents at a deeper level. For cases that can’t be solved over teleconsultation, vets are now supplementing their efforts with home diagnostic kits & in-person visits to provide the required attention the pets need.
With the combined ability to address more number of cases without geographical limitation, highly experienced and trusted vets are accessible to serve more pets. Whether it is routine health checks, home vaccinations or at-home consultations, pet parents can now avail of such services with just a few clicks.
To top it all up, smart IoT devices offering continuous monitoring of the pet’s activity, ECG, SpO2, heart rate parameters etc. are fueling increased levels of proactive care by the veterinarians.
Conclusion
The above technologies have already started making a huge impact on the Indian pet landscape. A pleasant shift in the way these technologies are being leveraged by pet parents is being witnessed. Vet advice via Teleconsultation is being used not only for diagnosis but also for preventive care such as nutritional counselling, addressing behavioural issues, new pet parental support etc. An added advantage of access to highly effective supplements being delivered home in time helps keep pet’s health in top condition, making the future of pet healthcare look brighter than ever.
