MAM
Supertails to expand and bring international pet brands exclusively to India: Co-founder Varun Sadana
Mumbai: Since 2019, the growth rate of the Indian pet market has increased from 16-17 per cent to upwards of 20 per cent in 2020. In fact, while dog adoption rates have increased by up to 50 per cent by 2020, the cat market has increased by up to 40 per cent. With pets in more than 12 per cent of urban Indian homes, the country is on the threshold of further exponential growth in this industry, similar to what happened in more evolved pet markets like China ($30 billion) and the USA ($105 billion) in the past.
Following the emergence of petcare in the country, Supertails is encashing the space pretty well with 50 per cent month-on-month growth for the last one year.
Supertails is a first-of-its-kind digital platform that supports the ever-increasing pet parent community with a one-stop solution for pet food and supplies.
Launched in 2021 by Vineet Khanna, Varun Sadana, and Aman Tekriwal, the startup provides veterinary care, pet food and supplies, and offers pet training sessions as well. In recent times, Supertails has been the talk of the town, not only for its unique services but for its ad campaigns and exponential growth too.
In conversation with Indiatelevision.com, Supertails co-founder Varun Sadana talks about their advertising strategy for the brand, investors, future plans, and a lot more! He also sheds some light on the growth trajectory of the digital platform.
Prior to Supertails, Varun was the co-founder and COO of Licious. He has also been associated with HUL and Snapdeal in his earlier career. He has pursued his bachelors of technology (mechanical) from the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra and an MBA in sales and operations from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.
Edited excerpts:
On how Supertails started
Varun: Similar to the meat market, the pet market too needs disruption as pets are now seen as companions. The relentless passion for the pet care ecosystem and a vision to make India a pet-friendly nation unites the founders of Supertails with their team of pet care experts and enthusiasts.
Currently, Supertails has over 120 brands in the petcare space, making it the widest assortment of petcare brands on a single platform in the country.
On enthralling investor response
Varun: Supertails, which debuted in 2021, raised $2.6 million in pre-series funding. This welcoming response from the investor brands helped the brand start on a very strong note. The first round of collections saw investors like global Indian icon Deepika Padukone, Kunal Bahl, Titan Capital, Sauce VC, and Whiteboard Capital, among others.
On following the path of growth
Varun: Over the last one year, the digital platform has been growing at a CMGR of over 50 per cent month-on-monthly.
Our business is broken down into our ecommerce platform and our own brand. The e-commerce platform is meant for the Indian population and is working towards a better assortment, discoverability, and pricing of pet products in the country. Supertails offers almost all brands across all relevant categories such as food, toys, grooming, etc., available in India on its platform.
We believe the natural next step for the expansion of this vertical is to bring international brands on an exclusive basis to India.
The market size of the business we’re building is $1-1.5 billion in India as of 2022, and is expected to grow to five billion dollars by 2027.
On genZ centric marketing approach
Varun: Supertails caters to the GenZ pet parent audience. We are aiming to build a brand that makes pet parenting easy and fun for them. When it comes to marketing, we believe that more than the right channel, it’s the right narrative that appeals to the Gen Z consumer.
Media in today’s day and age is extremely porous and we believe in an integrated approach for all our campaigns. While we have always been a digital media first brand, what we really focus on is bringing valuable content to our consumers and then distributing this through multiple avenues. Whether it has been doing brand films with a unique creative approach, i.e., visualising life through a pet’s point of view or having campaigns like “Crime Master Doggo” which surprise our audiences—our approach is always content first.
Sadana noted that more than anything, this market is defined by mindsets, where there is a potential for a paradigm shift just by altering the narrative and starting the right conversations among the consumers, which in the case of Supertails is a tech-savvy GenZ pet parent redefining “family” as being centred on their pet.
On Supertails future
Varun: As the company grows, Supertails plans to support pet parents as they navigate all aspects of pet parenthood, including the decision of bringing home a pet, training and hygiene consultation, raising a healthy and fit companion, and fulfilling all primary needs for the pet.
In three years, supertails.com will be a one-stop shop for all pet product needs with the widest assortment available in India at the best negotiated prices with a robust supply chain in place.
Buying family medical insurance online in India has become a common option for individuals who want to secure health coverage for multiple family members under a single policy. However, many buyers are unsure about the exact steps involved in selecting and purchasing the right plan online.
In this guide, you will know the step-by-step process of buying family medical insurance online in India, along with the key factors to review before purchasing a suitable policy.
Step 1: Assess Your Family’s Healthcare Needs
Before buying online health insurance, check the healthcare needs of all family members. Check age, existing illnesses, regular medicines, and the likely need for hospital care later. This helps in selecting a suitable sum insured, policy type, and level of cover. It also reduces the chance of buying a plan that appears suitable but does not meet actual medical needs.
Step 2: Visit the Insurance Company’s Official Website
After understanding the family’s needs, visit the insurer’s official website and read the plan details carefully. Use the official platform to review eligibility, policy wording, waiting periods, cover details, exclusions, and renewal terms.
This step gives a clearer understanding of how the policy works before payment is made. It also helps avoid confusion caused by incomplete summaries on other pages.
Step 3: Compare Available Family Health Insurance Plans
A family medical insurance policy should be compared on factors beyond the premium. Review the sum insured, hospital network, room rent limits, pre- and post-hospitalisation cover, daycare treatment coverage, and waiting periods. It is also important to check treatment sub-limits and specific policy conditions.
Careful comparison helps determine whether a plan provides balanced coverage and whether its terms are suitable for the healthcare needs of the entire family.
Step 4: Choose the Right Policy and Start the Online Purchase
Once the options have been compared, select the policy that best fits the family’s medical needs and budget. Before starting the application, review the covered members, policy term, benefits, and main conditions again. This is an important stage because errors here can lead to the wrong cover amount, an unsuitable variant, or missing details that create problems during policy use.
Step 5: Calculate the Premium Using an Online Calculator
Use the online premium calculator before making the final choice. Enter the correct details, including age, city, number of insured members, and selected cover amount. The result helps in understanding the expected premium and whether the policy fits the annual budget. This step is useful because it allows cost and coverage to be reviewed together, instead of choosing a plan only because the premium looks lower.
Step 6: Fill in Personal and Medical Details
When filling in the proposal form, provide accurate details for each insured member. This includes name, date of birth, contact details, medical history, ongoing treatment, and previous insurance information if required.
Every answer should be complete and truthful. Incorrect or missing details can create difficulty later. Before you submit the form, read every section again and correct any mistakes.
Step 7: Make Payment Through the Secure Payment Gateway
After checking the form, go to the payment page and complete the transaction through the secure payment gateway. Review the premium, policy term, and entered details once more before confirming payment.
After the transaction is completed, save the receipt, reference number, or confirmation message carefully. Keeping this record is useful if you need to track the purchase or follow up on policy issuance later.
Step 8: Download and Keep Your Policy Document Safely
Once the policy is issued, download the policy document, schedule, and any related papers without delay. Read them carefully to confirm member names, policy period, sum insured, and major terms. Save a digital copy in a secure folder and keep a printed copy if needed. Proper record keeping makes future renewals, document checks, and policy servicing easier and more organised when information is required quickly.
Conclusion
Buying health cover online becomes easier when you handle each step with attention. From checking your family’s needs to reading the final document, every stage helps you make an informed choice. A careful approach can reduce mistakes, improve your understanding of policy terms, and help you choose coverage that matches your household’s medical needs, financial capacity, and long-term healthcare planning in a reliable way for your family over the long term.
