“Initially, our intention was merely to establish Catlink as a small yet remarkable company, generating profits along the way. However, in 2020, the true vitality of Catlink emerged when we discovered a health issue in a Thai cat through multi-cat recognition and data algorithms. At that moment, we realized that Catlink's significance extended beyond entering a promising market—we had successfully saved a feline life.”
This is what Zhang Xiaolin, the founder of Catlink, told EqualOcean during an exclusive interview, shedding light on the story and founding principles driving the brand. With the rapid advancement of technology, the smart pet supplies market is undergoing an unprecedented transformation.
In this fiercely competitive industry, Catlink, founded in 2017, has emerged as a highly regarded smart pet hardware brand, positioning itself as a leader in the field with its unique concepts and innovative products. The following is part of the conversation between EqualOcean and Mr. Zhang, disclosing deeper insights into Catlink's journey and its distinctive position within the smart pet supplies market:
Intelligence, Digitization, Healthiness - Three Milestones in Catlink's Leading Industry Development
EqualOcean: what sets Catlink apart in the smart pet supplies market? What has made it such a renowned brand?
Zhang Xiaolin: Our insight into the entire industry has been one of the key factors behind our success. Throughout the evolution of the smart products industry, we have witnessed the progression from automation to intelligence and now firmly believe in the path of digitization and health consciousness. Automation, represented by products from established smart goods brands such as Little Robot and Scope Free, mainly focuses on automatic devices. For example, their automated litter boxes are equipped with sensors that trigger automatic cleaning actions after a cat uses the litter. In my opinion, this constitutes automation, merely accomplishing the automatic scooping action without truly achieving intelligence.
In contrast, I consider the watershed between automation and intelligence to be our introduction of Catlink in August 2019. We firmly believed that intelligence was the future trend and the leading driver of industry development.
Differentiating intelligence from automation lies in the presence of features such as Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, Wi-Fi integration, remote control via smartphones, and data transmission capabilities. These, in my view, represent the significant distinctions of intelligence.
Digitization, on the other hand, refers to when we control the smart litter box via a mobile phone, the information we desire to obtain through mobile control, or the type of data the device can transmit to our phones. Through gravity sensors, we can accurately identify which cat used the litter box, the duration of usage, the frequency of usage, and even detect any anomalies.
By analyzing data such as a cat's diet, urination, and defecation, we can obtain results and provide feedback to owners regarding potential health risks for their pets. Therefore, when Catlink debuted in the market, we took an additional step, and to this day, we remain focused on the industry's evolution five years from now. We are firmly committed to using technology to monitor pet health. Our products must possess intelligent technological features, including Wi-Fi and data transmission capabilities. Perception is achieved through the device's collection of behavioral data, such as eating and elimination patterns. Finally, through algorithmic analysis, we can derive results concerning a cat's potential health risks. This is where Catlink's uniqueness lies. While others discuss automation, we emphasize intelligence. And while others discuss intelligence, we delve into digitization and health consciousness.
Focus on Pet Safety and Health - Product Design and Safety Assurance
EqualOcean: You mentioned that Catlink's mission is to use technology to monitor pet health. So, how do you ensure the safety of Catlink's products and the health of pets?
Zhang Xiaolin: We position ourselves as a "ToP" (To Pets to Person) company, and we emphasize this in the training of our internal staff. We have strict standards in supply chain selection and material sourcing. We chose the automotive supply chain because it offers higher quality assurance compared to the home appliance supply chain. As for materials, we select those that have food and drug certifications. For example, our cat litter box and feeding bowl have been certified as non-toxic for food.
To ensure product safety, we carefully consider various possible malfunctions during product design and incorporate protective features such as gravity sensors, infrared sensors, and microwave radar. For instance, in the development of the second-generation Little White Cat litter box, we implemented a structure that integrates the barrel and the storage bin, equipped with a 270-degree gear mechanism to prevent any harm to cats in case of product failure. These measures demonstrate our concrete efforts in hardware to prioritize cat safety, providing cat owners with increased confidence and assurance.
Furthermore, we also place significant emphasis on monitoring and protecting cat health through software. Our devices connect to the owner's smartphone application, allowing owners to monitor their cat's health data anytime, anywhere, and receive relevant advice and alerts. We collaborate with veterinarians, leveraging artificial intelligence and big data technology to continuously improve our algorithms and diagnostic capabilities, ensuring the provision of accurate and reliable health analysis and recommendations.
Innovative Strategies for Brand Recognition and Global Expansion
EqualOcean: How has Catlink established its brand awareness in the minds of consumers? What strategies have you adopted?
Zhang Xiaolin: In terms of building brand awareness, we focus on product innovation and market education. We first launched a globally pioneering smart cat litter box, bringing the traditional cat litter tray into the era of intelligence. We quickly caught consumers' attention by collaborating with the top 20 pet influencers on Douyin (Chinese: 抖音, the Chinese version of TikTok) and leveraging short videos for promotion. Some influencers were able to sell hundreds of units within a month, and this mutual achievement helped spread the Catlink brand rapidly.
Furthermore, we created creative marketing themes by connecting the smart cat litter box with devices like Tmall Genie (Chinese: 天猫精灵, an AI smart speaker). We initiated a theme called "Clean the litter with your voice", which sparked curiosity and interest among users. Through a series of humorous videos, we showcased the features and convenience of the smart cat litter box. This viral spread gained high viewership and propagation rates on platforms like Douyin.
EqualOcean: Catlink has entered many countries and regions, how will you maintain competitiveness abroad? What specific challenges have you encountered?
Zhang Xiaolin: For our overseas expansion, we have adopted two strategies: foreign trade and cross-border branding. Initially, we entered a foreign market through foreign trade by establishing exclusive distribution relationships with local partners. We provided localized materials and language support and collaborated with partners in marketing and promotional activities to ensure they have sufficient pricing power and profit.
As the number of partners increased, we started building our own cross-border e-commerce platform and operated our brand globally. This dual-drive strategy of foreign trade and brand e-commerce has laid a solid foundation for Catlink to maintain competitiveness in domestic and international markets.
Of course, there are challenges in overseas markets, such as cultural differences and market competition. We need to continuously learn and adapt to local market demands and preferences, establish good communication and cooperation with partners, and jointly promote the brand's development.
The Impact of Unipal's Bankruptcy on the Pet Consumer Market and Future Trends
EqualOcean: Recently the news of the bankruptcy of smart pet technology company Unipal (Chinese:有陪 ) spread on social media. As an industry expert, how do you evaluate the impact of this event on the pet consumer market? What are your views on the future trends of this market?
Zhang Xiaolin: First of all, I believe that any bankruptcy event in an industry is not conducive to the overall development of that industry. Such events cast a shadow on the industry, have a negative impact on the capital market, and create confusion and concerns among some users when purchasing smart pet products. Overall, I don't see it as a positive development. However, the track we are on as entrepreneurs belong to a path of long-term development, requiring a long-term mindset to refine products, provide high-quality services, and convey our vision to consumers.
We have always believed that the pet industry is a sector that can withstand economic cycles, especially smart pet products as a growth driver within the entire pet industry. I have a strong conviction in this judgment, and I believe that such driving forces will not slow down due to short-term economic fluctuations. We should not lose confidence in the entire industry just because a few companies face operational difficulties; these issues may be specific to their operations and do not represent problems with the entire industry.
The reports about Unipal also highlighted their innovation in the smart cat litter field and their high-quality marketing strategies, which raised the overall standard of the industry. However, with changing investment perspectives and a shift towards refined operations from scaling up, the importance of business fundamentals has been overlooked. We must return to rationality and the essence of business. This era requires us to focus on refined operations and adhere to a long-term mindset.
About the Interviewee:
Zhang Xiaolin, the Founder, and CEO of CATLINK, holds an MBA degree from the ECUST School Of Business. With over a decade of experience in top international companies within the pet smart product industry, he embarked on an entrepreneurial journey in 2017. Within a mere two years, together with his team, Mr. Zhang successfully established CATLINK as a thriving pet brand, popular both domestically and overseas.