UNLEASH PH, a Filipino pet lifestyle app, has taken a step to revolutionize pet care. Since it launched in October, the app has served as an e-commerce platform through its Animall feature, as well as promoted its advocacy of adoption from shelters.
On Feb. 28, Unleash PH unveiled more of its services. First is Meets, a dating feature designed specifically for pets. This addition to the app allows pet owners to help their pets find compatible mates, whether the same breed or not, bringing a social aspect to pet care.
Meanwhile, the Services feature offers networks for mobile grooming, telemedicine, vaccination, pet sitting, pet training, pet-friendly cafés throughout the country, and even arrangements for pet air travel.
These additions “demonstrate the app’s dedication to making pet care more accessible for pet parents everywhere,” said Unleash’s Chief Executive Officer Chie Malaki.
Muji Jaafar, director for operations at Unleash, told BusinessWorld at the sidelines of the gala night that all of these services were born from observations of the growing pet market.
“There used to be just an aisle of the department store or the grocery where you can see pet supplies. Come end of 2022 to 2023, if you’ve observed, there’s a whole portion of the store already for them. It’s getting bigger and bigger. There are also entire stores just for pets. That’s how big the market for pet needs has become,” Mr. Jaafar said.
He explained that Unleash started to connect pets needing adoption with humans looking for a pet to take home.
“It’s an all-in-one pet lifestyle app. Anything that you can think about pet parenting is there. Consumables like food, accessories — we have the Animall for that,” he said.
All products in the marketplace are carefully chosen, and the sellers themselves screened to ensure that they are licensed. Unleash hosts its own delivery service and courier, ensuring “a flawless experience,” according to Mr. Jaafar.
“This is our edge over other pet e-commerce platforms,” he said.
The app also has a Feed portion, which contains social media posts presented like TikTok and Facebook. The content there can connect to shops in the Animall, allowing pet owners to browse through the app with the convenience of not needing to go outside of it to make a purchase.
Mr. Jaafar reiterated that the heart of Unleash is adoption. “The Reads portion contains our advocacy, which is the shelter. People can send donations and also do adoptions,” he said.
But not everyone is ready to adopt. Thus, there is Playbook, a Tamagotchi-type game on the app where children can take care of a virtual pet. “Sometimes, little kids ask their parents for a pet, and these parents, you know, they don’t want to give that trust yet to their kids. This portion addresses that. If you can take care of your pet there, then you’re responsible enough [for a real pet]. We connect that to the advocacy of where families can adopt,” he explained.
As of February, the Unleash PH app has had over a million downloads, while the community itself has reached 17,000 members. Mr. Jaafar revealed that they are targeting 10 million downloads by the end of 2025.
“We see great potential in creating an entire world for them through this online platform. We have a vision of promoting proper pet care,” he said.
Unleash PH is available to download for free on both iOS and Android. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
