Are you a dog lover, but you're just too busy (or lazy) to take on the full-time responsibilities that come with pet ownership? Then Flexible Pet Ownership / Pet Rentals may be the option for you. You basically rent-a-pet when it suits you, and take it back when it doesn't.
So much for bonding...
Implications - The registration fee will cost up to $150 that includes an account-maintenance charge and a $39.95 monthly service charge. On weekdays it costs about $19 and an additional $10 for the weekends. Of course like any other overdue rented item -- or dog, in this case -- there's a late fee of $75. In terms of the process, simply look for the nearest location, choose the dog and you're good to go. Perhaps purchasing a dog is the better way to go considering the additional cost. But perhaps this may be the better way for some.
What's Driving This Trend
- Flexible Pet Rentals
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a subscription-based service for pet rentals with more affordable pricing options for customers who want short-term pet ownership.
- On-demand Pet Care
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop an app which allows pet owners to request dog-walking, pet-sitting or pet-boarding services on-demand without needing to commit to pet ownership
- Shared Pet Ownership
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop a platform that allows several people to share ownership of a pet - this could offer all the benefits of Flexible Pet Rentals at a lower cost and with more continuity for the pet's wellbeing.
Who This Affects Most
- Pet Industry
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Offer more affordable, flexible and accessible services to help pet owners manage their pets' needs, such as pet rentals, pet-sharing, and on-demand pet care apps.
- Subscription Services
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore subscription-based services that offer more affordable and flexible short-term or long-term alternatives to traditional pet ownership.
- Sharing Economy
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a sharing economy platform for pet owners to share their pets with other people when they are not able to take care of them, such as shared pet ownership or on-demand pet care services.
