Editor’s note: This article was first published in March 2011. Its figures are from that month: about 77 million dogs in the United States, dogs in 40% of internet-connected households, and 1.2 million unique monthly visitors to Pawsley.
It’s estimated that there are roughly 77 million dogs in the United States, which means that 40% of households with an internet connection have a dog. Hundreds of thousands of pet profiles have been created on Facebook, and the founders of Pawsley saw a business opportunity in that.
The result is the first social network exclusively for dogs, which has been dubbed the Facebook for dogs and, at the same time, the Groupon for pets, because companies that sell pet products were quick to sign up.
If someone had told us about this five years ago, we’d have thought it was crazy. And while it may still be a bit crazy, the fact is that Pawsley already gets 1.2 million unique visitors a month. That makes this “social network” a very profitable website with plenty of room to grow, not least because companies selling dog food, clothing or any new product for these pets see a world of possibilities in it.
Pawsley’s founders also see a world of possibilities in being able to charge these advertisers for perfectly targeted and segmented advertising.
Once again, business ideas turn up in the least expected product.
Further reading
- Social networks focused on professionals and specific markets
- Herzio, an alternative to MySpace
- Business ideas in the new social networking market
- Business ideas for this year
Featured image: Walter Rumsby, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr.
