Jan22686 Best Pet Care App 2023 (Thailand): MyFriend Bangkok-based company, MyFriend is revolutionising the way we care for our pets. Pet lovers, Kevin Pantanella and Linda Pantanella Nilson founded MyFriend in March 2021. Motivated by their love of their furry friends, the couple created the MyFriend app to make caring for your pet easier and more enjoyable. We chat with Linda to find out more about the app and the company that drives it. Ask any pet lover about the highlight of their day and they’ll tell you about the peaceful time spent walking their dog or the fun they had playing games with their cat. The bond between animal and human is a strong one and our pets are often more than happy to take centre stage. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the APAC region has seen a surge Oct23070 in the number of new pet owners, particularly Gen Z and Millennials. The trend of pet humanisation – treating pets, typically dogs and cats, as if they were human – has created an exciting and expanding marketplace. Pet humanisation sees owners considering their pets as even more integral members of the family than before. Some common examples include dressing pets in clothing, celebrating their birthdays, and feeding them human-grade, often gourmet meals. This shift in the way society views and interacts with animals, moves away from the traditional role of a pet as a companion or working animal. As a result, the average spend on goods and services for pets in the APAC region has seen a dramatic increase. This trend has given the pet industry a new lease of life, making it lucrative for businesses and investors. MyFriend is an all-in-one pet application designed to cater to all the needs of pets and their ‘parents’ in everyday life. As pet owners themselves, Kevin and Linda know all about the daily frustrations and struggles that pet parents face. Motivated to find a remedy, they created MyFriend to make life easier and more fun. Linda says, “It can be challenging to be a parent of a furry companion in a not-so-petfriendly city like Bangkok. Our goal is to offer pet parents a solution that means there’s less time for stress and more time for the things that matter, like cuddles and walkies!” The company’s mission is to be a constant companion to the pet parent. There’s advice and support for all stages of a pet’s life, from considering adoption to taking care of its everyday needs and even end-of-life care. The centralised application offers a marketplace to buy supplies and toys, a special pet calendar that keeps track of appointments and pay dates, and an interactive map showing petfriendly venues. MyFriend is busy adding services to the app. Soon to come are pet boarding, sitting and walking services, daycare, health insurance, online vet consultations, missing pet alerts, plus lots more features. Linda tells us, “We have a unique approach to pet humanisation. We recognise that pets are family members. We understand the importance of pets and how they enhance our everyday lives and we want our clients to feel understood. Everyone has different preferences when it comes to caring for their beloved animal and we’re ready to go that extra mile to meet their expectations.” From human-grade treats to matching outfits, MyFriend caters to the fun and serious side of pet care. Offering personalised recommendations, pro-active outreach, hassle-free ordering, and top-notch customer service, the company wants its clients to experience a new level of care in the sector. And to do that, the team behind the MyFriend app has to be something special. Linda explains, “As our company name implies, we are all friends at MyFriend. The culture of the company extends far beyond the hours we work together. Our employees have created relationships and friendships to last for life. It was unintentional, but by selecting the candidates with the best mindset for the job, we’ve brought together a team of very like-minded individuals.” Although the company values experience and hard skills, its priority for recruitment lies elsewhere. Linda adds, “To us, the right mindset and attitude
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