Research has found that pets ease a persons loneliness, and that living with pets helps people to be more active (Carver 2020; Wood et al. 2015). Most importantly, we are comforted by these nonhuman companions. The presence of a dog or a cat in the home may be the only thing between an isolated person and despair (Carver 2020; Wood et al. 2015). What was evidenced from the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide there was an unprecedented surge in pet adoptions and fostering (Boseley and Wahlquist 2020; Carver 2020). We found ourselves either working and studying from home or staying at home due to recommendations from health authorities. This resulted in an increase in adoption and foster care applications as we turn to pets for companionship (Boseley and Wahlquist 2020). However, now that life is changing once more and we are returning to our workplaces, universities, offices, shops, cafes, etc., our furry friends are being left behind. This creates behavioural and psychological issues for both the pets and the owners (Teller 2020; Wells 2020). Resultant behaviours can include mood disorders, excessive barking, howling, crying, obsessive marking and grooming amongst our pets (Wells 2020). For the owners, it may be anxiety-inducing being separated from our furry companions who we love and have relied on so intimately for so long during a global health emergency (Peel 2020). Furbo Dog Nanny (Furbo) (https://shopau.furbo.com/pages/furbo-dog-nanny) is an A.I. supported home system specifically designed with your pets in mind. It is a nanny system that keeps your pet safe through the use of video, audio, alerts sent directly to your mobile device, treat delivery system, Cloud recording capabilities, and more. It allows pet owners to know exactly what is going on at home with their pets and be alerted of emergencies in real time. It provides a sense of connection between owners and the pets they have had to leave at home. In the current environment, Furbo want to expand their operations as Australia is experiencing an extraordinary increase in demand for pet monitoring and support systems.

Market Segmentation Provide three (3) appropriate consumer market segments for the company to consider targeting you MUST use a segmentation table (see p. 175 of prescribed text) to present this information.

Use all four (4) bases(geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioural)

Use two (2) variables within each base

Provide fully referenced justification of the segmentation bases and variables you have included as an explanation of your segmentation table