My name is Igor Dobrelya, and I’m a pet industry expert in Russia. I’ve worked in the industry since 2000, including at major companies like Nestlé Purina and Hill’s Pet Nutrition. I first met the Automatica team when I was head of the Specialty Channel at Hill’s.

In the pet business, the specialty channel isn’t just about sales — it’s about recommendations. Unlike traditional sales channels, where results come down to sales volume, in the pet business the level of recommendations is critical, because people are buying for their pets and can’t judge the product directly. Recommendations from specialists — vets, dog and cat specialists, and other pet industry experts — become a key part of the business.

We faced a tough challenge: learning how to track and measure recommendations. Standard digitization methods didn’t work for this. That’s when Automatica and Evgeni Dokuchaev stepped in, and together we developed unique solutions. With their support, we were able to measure recommendations and account for their impact on sales. Standard CRM systems didn’t fit. We needed a different kind of system — one built around how we work with professional breeders of purebred puppies and kittens, where a recommendation is an essential part of mentoring new owners.

With Evgeni Dokuchaev’s help, we built a program that showed whether a recommendation was given when a pet went to its new home. We also strengthened breeder incentives. As a result, the program proved highly effective: thanks to the new system, we streamlined the work of our breeder account managers, made customer contacts more effective, and raised productivity — all while cutting costs.

Rolling out the system was a breakthrough for the business. Sales grew by double digits, and the channel’s share went from 1% to 12% in just five years, which had a major impact on the company’s success. Digitized recommendations showed how they drive sales in other channels: customers who got a recommendation from a breeder later bought the same product wherever it was most convenient for them — at stores, on marketplaces, or at vet clinics.

Thanks to the system that Automatica built and tailored to our channel at Hill’s, our business grew much stronger. The next project was a system that helped us retain customers effectively. It let us build long-term relationships, including reminders to restock pet food and quick help with possible issues — like a pet’s reduced appetite, keeping a pet at a healthy weight, and other questions about proper feeding. The system helped our consultants solve problems early and support pet owners.

These online tools had a positive impact on the business, and Hill’s firmly secured its place among the top three pet food companies in Russia. Strong double-digit sales growth became possible thanks to the development of our sales channels and the recommendation system.

At one point, our CFO even suggested hiring Evgeni full-time — that’s how often we met and how effective the projects were. Evgeni Dokuchaev delivered many projects for Hill’s: product training, a system for working with vets and breeders, online tools for the sales team, and software for sales analysis, planning, KPI tracking, and analytics. His work let us make fast, accurate, data-driven decisions, which kept sales growth consistently high.

Evgeni, thank you so much for all your help!