Pet ownership is passé – pet parenting is now the kosher term for humans with pooches. The new lexicon is only one of the many signs of an increasingly humanised relationship between cats, dogs and all sundry pets and their owners. Earlier, most families chose popular breeds such as Labradors, Shi Tzu, Pugs, or Beagles. Recently, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people adopting Indie dogs.
By Staff Reporter | February 7, 2023 | 1300 hours
Founded in 2008 by Rashi Narang, Heads Up for Tails has grown to become synonymous with pet couture in India. The core categories that the pet retail brand offers are pet food, treats, toys, and grooming supplies. Heads Up for Tails as a niche brand for customised pet accessories, has grown into 27 standalone stores in prime markets in India. Its store in New Delhi’s high street Khan Market – one of the world’s most expensive real estate spaces with well-established pet stores – is a startling marker of the brand’s successful experiment in the pet care segment.
Located at Ballygunge, the Heads Up For Tails Store and Spa boasts a wide range of offerings from 65+ brands to 5,000+ SKUs. This flagship store marks the brand reaching a landmark of 49 exclusive stores in India. With the launch of Heads Up For Tails Pet Spas in the city of joy – Kolkata, let your pets unwind and introduce them to an enjoyable grooming experience. Pamper your pets with relaxing massages, baths, eyes and ears cleaning, and other premium services.
The company has an extensive portfolio with more than 5,000 products across the categories of grooming, nutrition, wellness, and lifestyle, and aims to reach a wider set of people.
New Delhi-based pet retail brand Heads Up for Tails, currently generating a revenue of Rs 10 crore a month, aims to scale that up significantly by the end of FY22. The company, which has raised $13 million till now, has plans to raise another round soon.
Heads Up for Tails’ customers, thus, are those who are conscious of what their pooch eats, wears and sleeps in. From organic food, cutesy leashes, collars and tags, to orthopaedic beds and age-specific nutrition, Narang says her brand now offers them products for every aspect of a dog’s life, from puppyhood to senior living.
70% of Heads Up for Tails products are priced below Rs 800, unique products like gluten-free biscuits for dogs and organic anti-tick sprays come at a premium. Not that it has stopped Indians from splurging on their beloved critters. The first two tranches helped Heads Up for Tails expand its online and offline reach. Currently, its products also sell in some stores in the US and Singapore, though Narang says, at the moment, her focus is primarily on India.
The omnichannel pet-care retailer with a current footprint of over 50 experience centers across 12 cities and targets to have 150 experience centers by 2024. It recently ventured into newer cities and launched its flagship experience centers in Kolkata and Chandigarh. As part of the retail growth plan, it aims at expanding its retail presence in existing cities such as Delhi (NCR), Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Ludhiana as well as opening experience centers in Dehradun, Jalandhar, Coimbatore and Bhopal with a special focus on satellite cities with high pet population owing to increased demand from pet parents from these and lack of availability of quality pet products and services.
Heads Up For Tails is at the forefront of transforming pet ownership to pet parenting through product innovation, and essential services like bath, grooming, and spa that add value to the lives of pets and pet parents. As an industry disruptor, the brand has serviced around over 3 million+ pet families since its inception.
As part of its continued mission to create and curate innovative products and services that bring joy to pets and their families, one home at a time, Heads Up For Tails continues to expand its omnichannel-commerce and pet grooming and spas initiatives. In the past 14 years, Heads Up For Tails has introduced over 150+ India-first products with 5,000+ products across categories and plans to launch over 200+ India-first products in the next two years that provide innovative solutions to pet care problems and help pets lead their best possible lives.
Technology is at the forefront of Heads Up For Tails’ omnichannel initiatives. It maps consumer needs and products + services using its proprietary tools and its full-stack solution across retail and website allows the brand to drive more meaningful insights, deeper specification, and customization of solutions for pet parents. The technology stack at Heads Up For Tails allows it to deliver essential products in 24 hours across Delhi/NCR and it soon plans on launching the 24-hour delivery. Heads Up For Tails is also working on the omnichannel integration for its business wherein all the experience centers will be mapped to the digital business and will be ready for dispatch/pick-ups and returns. The brand feels that it’s essential to create a bridge between online and offline in order to provide its customers with a seamless shopping experience.
For now, though, Heads Up for Tails seems to be firmly placing its bets on the growth potential.
