What began as a pet food distributor now has 16 brands of pet food and accessories in its portfolio, including Nurture Pro, earthmade by Boneve, Loveabowl, Daily Delight, Ziwi Peak, Inaba Ciao, and Oxbow Animal Health. Our products are available in countries such as China, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and India – and we have no plans of slowing down.

Welcome to Yappy Pets, where your pets’ health and happiness are top of mind. Founded in Singapore by Mr Yap Seng Teck in 1994, Yappy Pets provides consumers with the best pet supplies in the market today. Is your furry pal a picky eater? Does your feline friend need environmentally-friendly cat litter? Look no further than Yappy Pets for solutions.

Jasmine Tan, our General Manager, was interviewed by the Singapore Business Federation on the success of the company. Tan shared that Yappy Pets begins by looking at the market readiness of a brand. “Meeting market demand and introducing brands and products at the right time is critical for us. Therefore, data analytics is very important, and we will usually conduct surveys and market trend spotting to identify relevant products that can fill the current gaps in the market.” From there, the company identifies the unique characteristics of each market and tailors its strategies. “Pet owners from certain markets like South Korea and Japan tend to have smaller dogs, compared to, those in Indonesia and the Philippines. So, for the smaller breeds, we will offer products that come in smaller packaging sizes. For example, instead of a four-pounder bag, we would package it as a 300-gram bag for these smaller dogs.”

The company is looking to enter the global market, with the United States as its first target. “The channels in the US are very different, and the way they do marketing is also very different. So, it is really a whole new game for us, and we will have to adapt to the preferences of the American pet owners.” Tan emphasized that the scale of the US market is unlike Asia’s – agents, wholesalers, independent retailers and other stakeholders are part of the picture. In Singapore, Yappy Pets works mainly with distributors and retailers.

Tan disclosed that understanding the market and finding the right partners are the two biggest challenges when it comes to internationalisation. Exploring networks and channels and conducting an analysis of the brands that are already represented are crucial. “There are many areas that you need help with, such as who to work with, how to enter the market, and what to do when it comes to government rules and regulations.” Still, Tan is not deterred. “We understand that different markets have unique characteristics. For example, in South Korea and China, e-commerce is very advanced and matured compared to our market. So, our market penetration strategy is tailored to each market.”

According to a case study by the SBF, part of Yappy Pets’ success is due to the fact that it “focused on brand advertising, cross-brand selling, and adding value to its products and services by offering online-exclusive merchandise.”[1]

The company also recognised that “digitalising its internal processes had enabled them to maximise the efficiency of its manpower resources and improve communications with its partners and distributors across various offshore markets.”[2]

Tan told the SBF that it is important “to have the mindset of ‘doing everything with an open mind’ and to believe that the company will grow because of the processes put in place.”[3] With all the strategies in order, Yappy Pets is ready to go global.

Read the Singapore Business Federation article here: https://bizq.sbf.org.sg/2021/10/serving-up-pet-treats-to-the-world/

[1] https://www.sbf.org.sg/images/2021/Company_Case_Study_Series_-_Yappy_Pets_13_Aug_Final.pdf

[2] https://www.sbf.org.sg/images/2021/Company_Case_Study_Series_-_Yappy_Pets_13_Aug_Final.pdf

[3] https://www.sbf.org.sg/images/2021/Company_Case_Study_Series_-_Yappy_Pets_13_Aug_Final.pdf