Leading UK product design agency for developing and prototyping innovative pet products

At D2M we have over a decade of experience developing new pet products for many clients. We are exceptionally skilled in the design and prototyping of pet products, ranging from automatic pet feeders, portable water bowls and dog collars, treat dispensers and other pet products including a full dog wash solution!

Designing New Pet Products

This is often the most exciting part of the process. It is where we help innovative and conceptualise your ideas and also further concepts and new materials that our creative design team can help bring to the table. We run innovation workshop with our clients as this is a partnership where we start to dig into your vision for the new product whilst helping shape the concept with our knowledge of what is possible to achieve in production.

This part of the product development process often concludes with a commercial viability assessment as price point is often critical for a successful new product launch in the pet product sector. Read more about this inspiring and exhilarating part of the process as your idea start to take shape.

Prototyping Pet Products

How pet product ideas are prototyped depends hugely on the materials used. Textile products are relatively quick to develop and test whilst hard goods products, particular those with integrated electronics can take a lot longer to prototype. This is often the most expensive part of product development and so it is worth ensuring that the new product idea is fully validated before commencing building prototypes.

It is worth considering that most materials used for prototypes are not safe for ingestion by pets. As such testing of prototypes with animals need to managed very carefully.

Manufacturing Pet Products

Due to cost requirements, most pet products are manufactured in China although this is starting to change for the premium end of the market. The process will involve a detailed manufacturing specification once the design of your product is finalised and then sourced the right pet product producer for your idea and your requirements. Quality Control, packaging, shipping, warning labels and instruction manuals all need to be considered at this stage.

Selling a New Pet Product

Now the hard work begins! Selling a new product from a previously unknown brand is very hard work. Retail buyers for larger retailers are incredibly busy and difficult to get hold of and you have no customer base who is out there organically growing your brand talking to their friends and so marketing and a lot of hard work will be required to get your product out there and known. It’s not all bad news, crowdfunding can help promote your new product, platforms like Amazon are low cost ways of getting started and social media can be a good way to build a loyal customer base.

Product Design

Innovative and experience product development for new pet product concepts.

Prototyping

D2M offers expert prototyping services, creating both high-fidelity and low-fidelity prototypes to refine functionality and validate designs.

Manufacturing

D2M’s expert manufacturing services support right the way through to production.

Complete Product Design to Market Solutions in Developing New Pet Products

At D2M, innovation drives every aspect of our work. From initial concept drawings through design, prototyping, IP protection, sourcing, branding, and marketing, we provide comprehensive product development services. Our flexible approach adapts to fit your needs, allowing you to join the development process at any stage and maintain control throughout.

Another D2M difference is our flexible approach which means we can adapt to suit your company’s needs best. We fit with you rather than you with us. We can join your development journey at any point regardless of where the project currently stands. Whichever route you choose the D2M commitment is that you are always in control at every stage. We will share your passion and belief, bringing focus and energy to the project.

Phil and D2M are the best at what they do and I would highly recommend working with them if you are looking for a product design company. From the beginning, Phil's passion and expertise came through when deciding on a partner.

D2M is a great company to work with and one we would recommend for any new product development. One quality we have been impressed with is their minimum viable product approach. Looking forward to working on our next project with them.

We engaged Phil and the D2M team to help us fabricate a prototype for our product on an extremely tight timeline. We would thoroughly recommend them to anyone who needs to take their product from idea to prototype!

D2M were and still are a massive help to me. They are full of knowledge of the industry and helped bring my idea to physical product. They re-designed, refined and have thoroughly tested my idea to create something that is functional, aesthetic and realistic to manufacture.

Genius Alert!!! Phil is one of the best start-up consultants you find out there. In contrast to all other start-up consultants you will encounter, Phil has first-hand experience of what it means to raise start-up funding, build the team and navigate the highs and lows of the start-ups.

Detailed Design for Production

At D2M, all our projects are led by senior-level designers with over a decade of experience in turning ideas into commercially successful products. From the outset, we design with cost-effective production in mind, balancing manufacturing efficiency with uncompromising quality. By combining deep technical expertise with a pragmatic, hands-on approach, we ensure every design decision supports smooth production, optimises costs and delivers a product that’s built to perform and built to last.

Effective and Rapid Prototyping

D2M’s in-house prototyping workshops allow us to design, build, and refine working models far faster than firms that rely solely on overseas suppliers. By keeping prototyping under our own roof, we can test ideas, make adjustments, and solve problems in real time, reducing delays, improving accuracy, and ensuring every detail is ready for efficient production. This hands-on, rapid iteration process means our clients move from concept to market with greater speed, confidence and control.

Reliable Manufacturing

Our team’s direct manufacturing experience means we understand exactly what it takes to move from prototype to full-scale production without costly surprises. Having worked hands-on with factories and suppliers worldwide, we design with the realities of manufacturing in mind, anticipating challenges, optimising processes and ensuring a smooth transition into production. This practical insight helps us deliver products that are not only high-quality but also efficient and cost-effective to manufacture from day one.

Do you have any innovative pet product ideas?

We’ve worked with a number of clients to bring innovative pet products to the market. Take a look at them and some of the other products we’ve worked on in our case studies section.

The pet product sector is a huge market and one that’s likely to keep growing, especially after all these lockdowns…. So it’s a great time to be developing new pet products. Contact us today and we can arrange a call to discuss your project requirements.

Contacting the team at D2M

Today could be the start of your project journey. Get in touch to share your project with us and we will talk through how we can help your business to deliver commercially successful products. There’s no obligation to work with us – it’s a great starting point.