THE SURPRISINGLY HIGH-TECH WORLD OF PET SPACES, AND WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THEM
Remember when dog parks were just a bit of grass somewhere in your neighbourhood? If you were lucky, they’d have a fence so you could let your dog off the leash. Well, those days are a thing of the past. Today we’re firmly in the era of smart dog parks, automated pet facilities, and tech-enabled animal spaces that would make Mark Zuckerberg – or at least, his dog – jealous. Convenient, flexible access control is an important component of creating and managing these spaces. What can we learn from their success, and apply to other facilities? T he pet tech boom – beyond consumer gadgets The pet industry in the UK is doing well. According to data from Nationwide Bank, the UK as a whole spends more money on its pets than it does on dating, childcare, or gardening. In fact, in the last
five years the UK’s pet bill has increased by 76%. People aren’t simply forking out on the essentials either. MoneySuperMarket’s survey shows that people spend almost £500 on luxury items for their pets, while for Gen Z, that figure is £759. The big kicker? Over 70% of people are prepared to spend more on their pets than themselves. When you think of pet tech, you may think of GPS collars and automatic feeders. But in addition to these items, there’s been a quiet revolution happening beyond consumer gadgets. Pet facilities have become one of the primary users of technology in the pet sector, whether it’s self-service dog washes or pet daycare. In fact, much of the ‘pet spend’ is going to these places, and a key technology is access control – convenient and flexible ways to manage access for owners and their pets.
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