Drop Shipping of Pet Products

Section one

Poor healthcare and abandonment of pets have been increasing in Malaysia, especially during the Covid 19 pandemic that began in March 2020. The pandemic brought several social and economic challenges that highly affected pets. The lack of finances to purchase the pet foods and provide the pets’ proper healthcare led to the owners believing that the pets were high maintenance that they could not manage, and some viewed their pets as potential Covid-19 reservoirs. This issue led to the increase of the pets’ abandonment into the streets. The abandonment of these animals increased the number of stray animals, a visible problem when the stray animals are seen as a threat to public health through the contraction and the spread of the diseases and as a nuisance. DEBBRA et al. (2020, p.61) state that these animals abandoned by their owners experience poor welfare through the lack of food, shelter, water and general maintenance. This issue is threateningly serious as some of these animals are subjected to trauma and cruelty from the human beings that find them on the streets. Most of them are found dead, badly injured, some of their body parts intentionally chopped off amongst other acts of cruelty against them.

According to Ahmad, Adzmi, Amernudin and Sulaiman (2021, p.52) Animal shelter organizations were the most affected by the social problem of animal abandonment and cruelty against stray animals. In response to the issue of providing shelter, veterinary animal services and food may have been tight on the groups as the animal necessities ran short due to the pandemic and the increase in the number of animals in need of care. The social problem was common in the Putrajaya city of Malaysia. Of the pets’ cats owned by households in Putrajaya, 60.9% of the cats were stray cats collected by the good Samaritans that became their owners. Food expenses were seen to require the most spending from 45.5% of the household owners then, followed by pets’ health care from the 27% of the households caring for pets in Putrajaya.

Section two

The proposed solution to this problem is the online drop shipping of the pet products to the animal shelter organizations and the pet owners and adopters. Many pet owners want to adequately care for their pets without much difficulty providing for their shelter, grooming items, food and other comfort products. The pet products that are will be drop-shipped include feeding and watering supplies such as slow feeders and water and food dispensers, grooming products and materials, pet houses and furniture with mats and beds, pet collars and leash for the pet walking activities, pet toys, among others. This idea is meant to facilitate the care and protection of animal welfare and reduce animal abandonment cases due to the shortage of the necessary materials.

Section three

The drop shipping of pet products is a transformational idea in providing the pet owners and animal shelter organizations with exactly what they want. The shipping will provide the pet owners the comfort and convenience, product choice and information, loyal customer relationships focus, and the pricing comparison that will clarify the values. As explained by Voloshyna (2020, p.135), pets and animals have a bigger impact on the lives of human beings. From providing relaxation, relieving stress by acting as companions and improving people’s mental health. Society regards pets as part of our daily lives that should be given equal attention. The idea, therefore, tries to improve the bond between pets and their owners, which will be an achieved long-term relationship.

This business targets and serves buyers across the world. The intended availability of unique and unusual pet products will offer the store a competitive advantage over the others. As noted by Wei, Singh and Kularajasingam (2021,p.88), the Costs of drop shipping the pet products are relatively low and convenient for purchasing different pet products and making more sales through the variety of products. The main aim of the proposed business idea is to choose products that will sell fast and generate more profits while at the same time making the products affordable to the customers who own pets.

The pet industry is a thriving industry that is bound to continue growing. Dropshipping of pet products is an aggressive niche, and with the increase in the ownership of pets, the business target market is bound to expand, making room for new points of penetration. The eCommerce drop shipping of these pet products has significant space for maturation with the increase in the customer preference for online shopping for their pet products. The online presence is an added advantage to the business’s growth and expansion that will utilize other markets strategies and matrices such as promotion and advertising. According to Garon (2022, p.39), these strategies will enhance the development of new product market channels, hence creating an advantageous cycle for the idea and business to thrive in the future.

Section four

Since the covid-19 pandemic emergence and the execution of necessary control measures of the disease, the online performance has increased with the number of household pets. Pet owners now seek to fulfill their needs at the comfort of their homes to adhere to the restriction measures put in place in Malaysia and worldwide. Physical interaction is one of the pandemic areas that has restricted and limited people to online business operations. Therefore, the dropshipping of pet products is a chance to make the lives of the pet owners and adopters easier and more convenient while taking care of their pet animals. Diamante et al. (2020, p.100129) conclude that the digital purchasing power has emphasized the marketing importance within the online space. Therefore the business will be able to meet the customers across the globe where they are at without compromising the health of their customers and that of their animals.

Ho, Hussain, and Sparagano ( 2021 p.444.) state that the online and E-commerce operations of drop shipping the pet products will continue to foster fulfillment to the customers, improve and control the costs of purchasing, shipping and selling of the products, advance the home delivery services and continue to ensure that premium pet products achieve higher markup profitability. The relevance of the business will be maintained by the fact that most pet owners are already enticed by the pet products eCommerce platforms that are more convenient to them and have done away with the constraints of physical shopping.

References

Ahmad, A., Adzmi, P.S.B.M., Amernudin, A.N.I.B. and Sulaiman, N.F.A.B.R., 2021. Enhancing Legal Protection of Stray Animals Welfare Through Society Intervention And Enforcement in Malaysia. Studies of Applied Economics, 39(10).p.52.

DEBBRA, M., MASTURA, Y., SHARIFFAH, N., MUHAMMAD, N.K. and AZJEEMAH, B.,2020 ASSESSING THE STATUS OF PET OWNERSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY OF PUTRAJAYA. Malaysian Jou, p.61.

Djalante, R., Nurhidayah, L., Van Minh, H., Phuong, N.T.N., Mahendradhata, Y., Trias, A., Lassa, J. and Miller, M.A., 2020. COVID-19 and ASEAN responses: Comparative policy analysis. Progress in Disaster Science, 8, pp.100129-100129.

Garon, J., 2022. Legal Implications of a Ubiquitous Metaverse and a Web3 Future. Available at SSRN 4002551.p.39

Ho, J., Hussain, S. and Sparagano, O., 2021. Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Spark a Public Interest in Pet Adoption?. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8, p.444.

Voloshyna, I.V., 2020. Drop-shipping new revolutionary trading (Master’s thesis, Sumy State University).p.135

Wei, L.Y., Singh, J.S.K. and Kularajasingam, J., 2021. IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS ON PURCHASING INTENTION TOWARDS PET PRODUCTS. A QUANTITATIVE STUDY AMONG FEMALES IN MALAYSIA. Electronic Journal of Business and Management, 6(3), pp.76-92.