Each weekend, clusters of stylish strollers appear throughout Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park as parkgoers and pram-pushers meet friends and take photos. Increasingly, peering out from the strollers are the furry faces of well-groomed dogs.
As birthrates decline across much of East Asia — in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China — baby goods firms in these markets are increasingly turning their attention to the pet business, harnessing existing expertise and in-house talent to develop products for animals.
While companies have branched out into pet clothes and car seats, the stroller is perhaps the most visible indicator of the pivot.