By Priyanka Tanwar*
Pet Grooming
The pet grooming and products market accounts for almost one fourth of the Indian pet industry. Increase in disposable income, pet humanisation and growing awareness about premium grooming products and services has fuelled the upsurge in this sector.
Scoopy Scrub
India’s maiden professional pet grooming startup, Scoopy Scrub was established in 2007 by Preeti and Sanjeev Kumar to provide grooming services to the capital’s pets. The venture has expanded to 7 outlets in Delhi NCR and 15 franchise grooming centres spread across Jaipur, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata and an international associate branch in Bangkok.
Petveda
Delhi-based Terrai natural products introduced a range of pet grooming products titled ‘Petveda’ in 2014. Based on the ancient Indian practice of Ayurveda, Petveda’s offerings use natural, organic and herbal ingredients. The ECOCERT approved products are free from sulphate, parabens and alcohol.
Captain Zack
Mr. Mohit Lalvani started his pet grooming enterprise Captain Zack after taking inspiration from his dog Zack who aces the canine leadership game with his cool, considerate and caring personality. The USPs of the brand are its naturally active ingredients that are anti-irritant, antibacterial, antiseptic and anti-fungal; and its witty and quirky product names such as ‘Paw’sitively Smooth Paw Butter,’ ‘My Coat Can Gloat Leave-in Conditioner for Dogs’ and ‘Tick’et to Fleadom Dog Shampoo’. The pet grooming brand secured $ 1.5 million in a pre-series A funding round from a consortium of investors in November 2018.
Funky Furz
Radhiya Hemchandra, Founder and Owner of Funky Furz range of pet grooming products and India’s premier pet grooming salon Fuzzy Wuzzy Pet Styling Studio & Spa, is one of the pioneers of the Indian pet grooming segment. Funky Furz offers an exclusive range of professional pet grooming products such as shampoos, conditioners and grooming tools for dogs and cats. The grooming products have been researched and designed to suit the specific needs of every type of coat. The products are available at their exclusive boutique in Bangalore and on their website. Radhiya has also designed an uber stylish line of pet clothing and accessories.
Subscription Boxes
The trend of subscription e-commerce is gaining popularity in India as pet parents are signing up for specially curated monthly subscription boxes to surprise and delight their pets.
BarkLoot
Based in Bengaluru, Usha Raghav’s ‘BarkLoot’ is a monthly subscription service that allows owners to spoil their pets with new toys, treats, accessories and pet cosmetics every month. The boxes are customised according to budget and size of the pet.
Wiggles
This personalised subscription service provides medicines, wellness and nutrition products for dogs based on recommendations by qualified vets. Wiggles also offers vets on call and grooming services in Mumbai and Pune.
Photography
Pet photography sector is gaining popularity as pet parents are queuing up to get their pets’ adorable quirks captured on lens.
Gaurav Thombre Pet Photography
Gaurav’s professional petfolio service is based in Mumbai and Pune and provides a one-stop shop for pet parents looking to frame praise-worthy memories of their furry friends. His aww-inspiring pictures have found space in leading publications such as Creature Companion, DNA newspaper and Exotic magazines.
The Pet Photographer
Aakanksha Tavaq’s project ‘The Pet Photographer’ aims to capture precious moments with pets in indoor and outdoor shoots. Tavaq shares, “From action shots to photos of your pets with their personalities highlighted in a way you never thought would be caught on camera.”
Veterinary Care
The veterinary healthcare market is one of the broadest segments of the petcare industry in India and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10 percent from 2018 to 2023.
Max Vets
Max vets is a multigenerational state-of-the-art super speciality animal hospital in New Delhi that offers a novel approach to traditional veterinary practice. Founded in 1952 by Dr. S D Sharma, it is presently run by his son Dr. Manmohan Sharma and grandsons Dr. Kunal Dev Sharma and Dr. Bhanu Dev Sharma.
Crown Vet
Owned by Prince Pratapsinh Gaekwad of the Royal Family of Baroda, ‘Crown Vet’ is a Mumbai based chain of posh pet clinics. Mr. Gaekwad shares, “We want to create a platform to support the development of veterinary medicine in India and through this endeavour hope to raise the bar in the field of pet care.” ( Source: punenightlife.in )
Cessna Lifeline
Dr. Pawan Kumar’s ‘Cessna Lifeline’ is a well-known name in veterinary care that brings international experience to Indian shores. Incepted in 2005, as a modest one room pet clinic with the aim to revolutionise animal healthcare in India, it has now expanded to 3 multi-speciality animal hospitals in Bengaluru and Gurugram.
Pet Training
The steady rise in the number of pets has lead to the mushrooming of canine behavioural training facilities. The knowledge, skills, experience and qualification of the trainer, the site of training and the type and quality of training provided are the main factors that determine the cost of training.
K9 Dog Training School
Adnan Khan’s startup ‘K9 Dog Training School’ offers behaviour, obedience and socialisation training to pets in the capital. Adnan shares, “I believe in the concept of training the human who is most involved with the dog in question to be able to modify the behaviours successfully.” (Source: petsworld.in) The school also has a dog gym and a dog boarding facility.
Canines Can Care
World renowned canine behaviourist and trainer Shirin Merchant’s pet training endeavour ‘Canines Can Care’ comes with her vast dog training experience spanning over 23 years. The venture not only provides behaviour and obedience training but also assistance priming and search and rescue operation drills. Shirin holds certification in Companion Dog Training and Behavioural Training from KCAI- Kennel Club Of England. She has started her canine magazine ‘Woof!’ and has received KCAI’s International Commendation award for Trainer of the Year and First Ladies Award by the government of India.
Veterinary Mobile Applications
The category of veterinary apps is expanding steadily with the growing need to store and organise medical information digitally and access veterinary data at the swipe of a finger.
Vetco
Vetco, a secure mobile application created by Vivan Chopra, assists pet parents in scheduling vet appointments, storing medical information, tracking medical history, setting reminders for vaccinations and daily medicines and finding a suitable mate for their furry friend.
EasyVet Veterinary Drug Index
Easyvet is a mobile application designed by Appscook Technologies that helps veterinarians to search for the most suitable drug for their pet patient from a huge database of veterinary medicines. It also enables users to track the availability of medicines and file online complaints.
Conclusion
The love for animals is the common force that binds these young entrepreneurs and business owners. Their love for their pets and their personal unpleasant experiences helped them identify unique business opportunities, their spirit of entrepreneurship helped them shape their dream and tailor it into a success story. The Indian pet space is ready to witness a revolution and entrepreneurs should follow it diligently for unusual business opportunities.
* Editor
