Petbarn creates first-of-its-kind generative AI solution to make pet care easier for Australian owners

Petbarn, Australia’s leading pet care retailer and part of Greencross Pet Wellness Company (‘Greencross’), has developed a groundbreaking generative AI–powered solution to help pet owners keep their pets happy and healthy. Named PetAI, the first-of-its-kind solution is the result of a collaboration between Petbarn, Microsoft and Insight Enterprises.

PetAI is an intelligent assistant that offers tailored pet care advice and product recommendations to Petbarn’s customers. Drawing on Greencross’ proprietary advice and extensive product insights, the solution aims to make it easier for pet owners to manage their pets’ wellbeing.

The first release of PetAI  went live in October 2024 on Petbarn’s website with thousands of customers have already embracing its functionality. The solution has now been integrated into the new Petbarn App, providing an AI-driven, holistic approach for customers to manage their pets’ health and wellbeing.

“PetAI represents a significant leap forward in our customer experience strategy, providing pet owners with expert advice and personalised solutions at their fingertips, directly from the knowledge of Petbarn and Greencross Vets,” said Mark Norris, Chief Information Officer at Greencross. “The collaboration with Microsoft and Insight has enabled us to push the boundaries of innovation and deliver a truly unique experience for pet parents in Australia – one that they are already highly engaged with.”

Several Microsoft technologies were used to create PetAI, including Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Search and Azure App Service. Microsoft has also worked with Greencross to ensure it has the necessary AI infrastructure to support the solution as the company’s capabilities grow. This combination of technologies enables PetAI to give customers highly personalised recommendations on products and ways to keep their pets happy and healthy.

In addition to common health-related queries about vaccinations, nutrition and training, Petbarn has identified some quirky questions that Australians are asking PetAI to better understand and care for their pets. They include:

• “Is it safe for my dog to eat Vegemite toast?”
• “When to puppy teeth fall out?”
• “How can I stop my cat from climbing the Christmas tree?”
• “What’s the best way to train my puppy not to chew on furniture?”
• “What’s the best way to introduce my puppy to other dogs?”

Sarah Carney, National Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, said Petbarn is the first retailer in the region to deploy Microsoft’s generative AI technologies on this kind of scale.

“Generative AI is redefining how businesses operate, and Petbarn is leading the charge in leveraging its potential to create superior customer experiences,” Carney said.

Building a scalable solution

The development of PetAI involved a comprehensive and iterative process. This included a virtual discovery session and an envisioning workshop led by Microsoft, where stakeholders from Greencross explored the possibilities of integrating generative AI into their customer-facing services. These sessions were pivotal in solidifying the company’s vision for an AI-driven experience and identifying key areas where generative AI could add significant value.

During the design and development phase, Greencross worked closely with Microsoft partner Insight to ensure the successful implementation of PetAI. This included developing a retrieval augmented generation capability and a multi-agent model to handle diverse domain knowledge and expand PetAI’s capabilities for tasks like bookings and product management.

“PetAI exemplifies the remarkable impact of real-world AI solutions in reshaping how businesses engage with their customers and foster engagement and loyalty,” said Veli-Mati Vanamo, Chief Technology Officer for Asia Pacific at Insight.