Everybody welcome ZINGY to the LA tech landscape! Zingy (link) just launched its one-click pet walking app this past week on Android & iOS, enabling pet owners to get a trained walker in a click or a tap.
The service allows dog owners to promptly book a walker that will walk their dog, one-on-one, at times when the owner is unavailable to do so. Once a service is complete, owners are notified of their four-legged friend’s outing by receiving an in-app care note and happy snap of the dog. Zingy protocol requires each walker to satisfy a rigorous 6-point background check to ensure walker integrity, while peer-to-peer reviews and a star rating system ensures dog owner peace of mind.
The app provides full-transparency across the entire process, from booking a walk and reviewing the assigned walker’s credentials, to seeing exactly when and where a dog has been walked, all in real-time.
The latest IBIS Dog Walking Services Industry Report highlights that one of the biggest consumer spending categories, Pet-Related Goods and Services, turns over a staggering $60b annually, with $11b attributed to Pet Services alone.
Says Tobi Skovron, CEO and founder: “We know that being busy at work or with the kids, going on vacation, or just having a lifestyle that’s not conducive to routine plans, are all factors when choosing to become a dog owner. Even for existing dog owners, circumstances are always changing. We wanted to create an environment that makes it easier for both dog owners and the dogs themselves.”
While launching initially in Los Angeles as a collect service in which the owner will personally handover their dog to the trusted walker, Zingy will eventually offer a service where owners will not need to be present for the handover, and plans to expand to other markets soon.
Zingy in the brainchild of Skovron, an Australian entrepreneur who is no stranger to the world of pets. Having previously launched the hugely successful Pet Loo®, an innovative indoor toilet for dogs, the item sold in over 80 markets globally before being acquired by PetSafe. Working with IDEO, the premier brand ideation company that specializes in uncovering latent needs, behaviours and desires, Skovron unearthed the market’s appetite for on-demand pet services.
