Creature Companion - Interzoo Special September 2019 | Page 26

Indian Pet Industry Dialogue - IPID
MR. MOHIT ARORA , Marketing Director, Pet Nutrition India, Eff em
India conducted an educative workshop on ‘Educating Pet Owners – Essential
for the Growth of the Industry.’ Th e session addressed the signifi cance of
educating pet owners about the specifi c nutritional requirements of pets and
employment of credible infl uencers such as veterinary experts, breeders and
trainers; and relevant information channels and engaging activities such as
quizzes and videos to achieve this end. It also focussed on building growth
drivers for penetration into new market segments, modifying behavioural
patterns of pet parents, driving relevance for success in emerging categories of
users. Mr. Arora also emphasised the impact of macro trends such as shift ing
demographics, responsible pet ownership, digital revolution and infl uence of
social media on pet owners.
IPID
also arranged some panel
discussions to discuss current issues
infl uencing the Indian Pet Industry. Dr. S
K Dutta, Deputy Commissioner Animal
Husbandry and Dr. Anees Cherkunnath,
IRS Deputy Commissioner Customs
participated in the fi rst panel discussion
on ‘Regulations – Importing Pet Products
in India,’ moderated by Mr. Varindra
Sewak, Former MD Purina India. Th e
debate highlighted the need to reduce the
cumulative lead time for importing pet
products into India, strict implementation
of import and export regulations and
suggested collaborations with veterinary
universities to manufacture vegetarian pet
food in the country. Th e panel also identifi ed
lack of initiative and paucity of approach
among Indians as the chief reasons for
absence of pet food manufacturing plants
in the country.
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Dr. Milind Hatekar, Pet Aid – Dog & Cat
Clinic, Pune and Dr. Jasneet Josan, Josan
Pet Care Clinic, Gurgaon engaged in an
animated discussion in the second panel
on ‘Changing Veterinary Practice in India
for Small Animals,’ which was moderated
by Dr. Kunal Dev, MaxVet, New Delhi.
Th e renowned panel debated educating
veterinarians in specialised procedures in
foreign universities; arrival of advanced
services and technologies in animal care
hospitals and clinics in India; and the role of
associations for private veterinarians in cities
like Mumbai and Delhi in the development
and organisation of the animal health sector.
Th e conference also hosted a third panel to expatiate on the subject of ‘Changing Face of Pet
Retail in India.’ Distinguished speakers such as Mr. Ashish Anthony, Founder Just Dogs; Mr.
Gaurav Mittal, Co-Founder DogSpot; and Mr. Prithivi Jayakaran, CEO Glenand Group of
Companies debated the indispensable necessity to organise the Indian pet retail sector, make
pet retail customer experience centric and adapt new expertise and technologies to advance
the trade. Th e discussion also addressed key concerns like synergy in the pet industry,
incorporating digital commerce to enhance pet retail business, emphasis on customer
delight, and the signifi cance of owning customer relationships directly. Th e speakers advised
pet entrepreneurs and business owners to use tools like telephonic interviews, customer
service forms and face-to-face interviews to develop a detailed database of customers; and
Creature Companion | September 2019 • Vol. XII • Issue 9 • Noida