"Digital transformation changes the game"

Mr Meunier, in your keynote speech at the International Pet Conference in Budapest, you stressed that 'digital' is a clear opportunity for pet care. What do you mean by this exactly?Well, from the point of view of the users, technology and digitalisation make life much easier for them. At least, that is what 75 per cent of millennials believe, according to recent studies on this topic. The natural behaviour of millennials is to search online for any information that interests them, including information about products and services. Moreover, when navigating online and engaging with products and brands, they expect tailored engagement based on their past interactions and behaviour. Products and services today therefore have to understand how best to reach millennials and gen Z and then be ready to provide personal services and information to meet their needs.
We are seeing more and more millennials who decide to own a pet also choosing to adopt a pet. As a pet care business, it's important that we consider their online behaviour and expectations when they are searching for information about pets up for adoption, including where to find them, which is the right pet for their circumstances and to how to care for the pet.
From a market point of view, we are seeing some key shifts across the pet care industry: a proliferation and acceleration of digital pet services, the emergence of innovative, data-powered business models, and the acceleration of e-commerce, to mention a few.
We also believe that digitalisation can help support the connection between pets and their owners. An example of this is the launch of our Better with Pets Prize in partnership with Ashoka (see report in PET worldwide 5/2018). 

Digital transformation is a reality across the whole organisation. For us, digital means engaging with the consumer, customers and key opinion leaders and leveraging technology to do business differently.
Let me give you some concrete examples of how we are building new capabilities or exploring new territories:
 In September 2017, we opened Purina Studios, our European hub for digital & e-commerce, located in the very dynamic tech ecosystem of Barcelona. We have recruited 40 experts in e-commerce and in search, content, social media and personalisation with the ambition to become the digital and e-commerce leader of the category in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.  We acquired a majority…