Electronic device makers including Suga and other start-ups are looking to cash in on the so-called pet wearables boom in China. With millions of wearables being sold avidly every year in China, it’s definitely worth it to take a closer look to see any potential implications.
Wearables are given chance to impact on increasing levels of pet ownership in China
The popularity of pet ownership declined when it was denounced as a decadent and bourgeois habit after the rise of the Communist Party’s over 60 years ago.
Over the last decade pet ownership has slowly crept back into the lives of Chinese residents, proving to be incredibly supported among the country’s growing middle class; with the support possibly (and most likely) paving the way for wearables to become the next big trend.
Companies playing their part in ensuring customer satisfaction
One consumer, a lecturer at a Beijing University, Lia Yang Liu, brought a GPS tracker that attaches to her dog’s collar. She goes on to comment on its usefulness. “The device really helped me once, when I loosened the collar and he just ran out of the park,” said Liu.
Another consumer, Ava Lui, an IT professional in Hong Kong, has three cats and a dog and has fitted her pets with collars that can monitor their activity and food intake. “I just wish that they will never get sick, they won’t get hurt. The less I take them to see vets the more time I can spend playing with them. That would be ideal,” she said.
Pet wearables, a rapidly growing industry
The electronic pet device market, although still small, is estimated to be growing by a fifth or even a quarter every year, drawing developers and producers such as PetPace LLC, i4C Innovations and DeLaval.
- China’s pet electronics device market is expected to grow 20% to 25% in the next 2 to 3 years
- There are more than 10 million pieces of pet wearable products sold in China every year
- There are 300 manufacturers of wearable pet gadgets globally, more than half are based in China. The numbers are expected to rise to 500 as market expands
