It’s a dogs life – 2006 may have be the year of the
dog but across Asia dogs have increasingly become the number one pet and companion.
Published figures and Asian newspapers have shown a clearly growing trend across Asia of dogs rapidly gaining ground as favored pets, companions or
playmates for single child families.
This trend is being driven by the rise of a more wealthy, smaller family
generation across much of the region especially amongst the young, working and elderly age
groups
Within this group dogs have taken on many of the roles enjoyed by their western kennel
mates in societies where traditionally large families have shrunk dramatically.
And the math? Well in Singapore – the number of abandoned dogs –
the true measure of a long lasting love affair with a pet, has fallen by over
30% in the past ten years. At the same time the number of dogs owned has
increased by 25%!
This astonishing boom has brought with it a huge demand for all and any dog
related product or service on offer.
Niche Market Idea – Toy Dog Breeds
While the trend towards some breeds may go
in and out of fashion (like Dalmations did after the 101 Dalmations films) the
underlying demographic and economic factors mean that this is a trend that
offers literally hundreds of niche market opportunities for product developers.
Think of specific areas like:
Then multiply that across specific breeds and if possible
long term offer local language versions as well as english and you have a very leveraged business
opportunity.
The key here will be to identify with the breeds that are popular in the
Asian region – it might not be our perennial favourites like the Labrador
or the German Shepherd.
You’ll also be more successful with regional based advert campaigns –
you know that Google Adwords campaigns can be country specific don’t
you? and use regionalised packaging that speaks to your target customers
not your next door neighbors.
One thing’s for sure – like dog owners around the world – the new breed
of canine lovers will probably end up preferring their dog to many of their
human friends and relatives!
We’ll be covering the Niche sector of Pets in much more detail in a forthcoming DNA Report.
