Development of Healthy Snacks for Dogs: Valuable Proposition through Lean Startup as a Strategy Integrated with Design Thinking

Bernardo A.A.R.; De La Torre M.A.; Paredes M.S.P.; Sifuentes C.L.T. · Proceedings of the 2025 IEEE 32nd International Conference on Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computing, INTERCON 2025 (2025) · DOI: 10.1109/intercon67304.2025.11244698

Resumen

The global pet food industry grows steadily, driven due to the growing humanization of companion animals. In the Peruvian context, 76 % of people spend their money on specialized food for their pets [1], which reflects a change in their consumption habits. However, there still exists the offer of ultra-processed snacks, far from the current preferences such as natural, healthy and functional options. This study proposes as its main contribution an innovative focus based in the integration of Design Thinking and Lean Startup to develop a valuable proposition focused on both, the direct client (owners) and in the final user (dogs). The result is a natural, additive-free, superfood- enriched frozen snack, validated through surveys of 384 pet owners and was tested in a sensory environment with dogs. The combination methodologically allowed the design of a differentiated product that is viable and well accepted by both profiles. In conclusion, the integration of these methodologies not only helps optimize the process of developing new snacks but also guarantees commercial viability by aligning with the expectations of the consumers. With this, the proposal addresses a need dissatisfied with the market and evidence of how an approach methodologically combined can promote the creation of a different product that is oriented towards animal welfare, strengthening the offer in the pet care sector.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas