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Thoughtful Pet Gifts: The Ultimate Way of Proving Your Love to Your Pet Dog
Taking care of your furry baby can be taxing and at times, between those late night shifts and exponentially increasing workload, even impossible. And yet as an adoring and indulgent pet parent you will definitely agree that it's completely worth it! Whether it's their naughty antics to use every one of your sofas as their new chew toy, or those adorable protests against the much dreaded bath time, your pet dog fills your life with irreplaceable joy, acting as your baby and a loyal stress-relieving support system at the same time.
Though pet adoption was rife even before the pandemic, the year 2020 saw a significant growth in the pet care industry. According to the report titled “Indian Pet Care Market Outlook, 2025”, published by Bonafide Research, the Indian pet care market is expected to touch INR 5,457 crore by the end of the year 2025, registering a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 19%. Despite witnessing considerable growth, the pet care industry in India is still raw and unorganized, which makes finalizing a bunch of well-designed and, above all, safe grooming products for those fur balls a real pain in the tail. This is where The Dog Box steps in.
The Dog Box: The One Reliable Solution to All Your Pet Care Needs
Unlike any other story, The Dog Box tale starts from a business model project at the University of Warwick. Harshit Kabra, an MSc IAE graduate, sat writing a 50,000 words research document, summarizing every detail of the business when the idea of providing high-quality pet care items in the form of curated boxes began to take shape in his mind. A dog lover himself, his entrepreneurial roots kicked in when he saw what he could do with his project. When further research proved the potential of doing business in the fast growing Indian pet care market, The Dog Box was initiated.
Though the business faced considerable issues in setting itself, starting with the time when they had to postpone the launch scheduled for March 23, 2020 due to the pandemic lockdown, their in-depth research into their products and good adaptation skills saw them ride the COVID-19 wave with fewer difficulties.
Research forms the core of the brand as well as its major success factor. In order to ensure the versatility and relevance of the curated boxes, the founders have done a lot of research into every breed, and even incorporated feedback from reputed vets. The brand strives to make the process of choosing a box for your fur ball easy by asking you to only fill a simple 8 question form about your dog's breed, size, age, etc. From there, the Dog Box does the rest by delivering high quality, customized and tested pet care items at your doorstep. In case you don't wish to subscribe to their regular box schemes, you can opt for a customized gift box or the “Make Your Own Box” option, where you can select from four options: toys, treats, grooming products and accessories. As a pet parent, you can rest assured about the quality of each product, as The Dog Box procures their products from established brands that make the products from natural ingredients. As for toys and accessories, Harshit personally visits the manufacturing units to oversee the production process and gauge the overall quality. Each product is passed through rigorous tests before it is allowed for shipment. The start-up also has a 100% no-questions-asked return policy or cashback just in case a faulty product reaches you or for some reason you wish it to be replaced.
The Dog Box aims at changing how dogs are viewed and Harshit, though this brand, aspires to spread awareness on how to treat dogs better, and encourage people to respect their pets as a part of their lives and not just as animals.
The philosophy behind the creation of The Dog Box is to deliver a million smiles through customer intimacy. We want your pet parenting experience to be simple yet surreal.
Harshit Kabra – Co-Founder, The Dog Box
Delivering the Finest Experience to Every Pet Dog: The Dog Box Story with Harshit Kabra, Co-Founder
- Q. Tell us about yourself and your background.
- I did my BBA from Christ College, Bangalore and then did my Masters from the University of Warwick. I come from an entrepreneurial background and had always wanted to do something on my own. There are a few other ideas I worked on before deciding on this one. That I also love dogs was one more reason to get into this sector.
- Q. What led you to create The Dog Box and how did you go about it?
- There is the family business but I wanted to do something on my own. It so happened that I worked on this business model for my dissertation and there was a 50,000 words document that details every aspect of the business. The pet market is one of the fastest growing sectors in India today and I decided to tap into that.
- Q. How do you curate and customise the boxes for each subscription and dog?
- We have a lot of research data and we talk to vets regularly on what different breeds of dogs like and what is good for them. When a customer signs up, there is a simple 8 question form that they need to fill out – age, breed, size of dog, etc. This gives us the information that we need to customise the boxes.
We have rarely had someone not liking the products in the box, but if the customer does not like a product or wants an item exchanged, we will do so, no questions asked. In addition to that we have the option for customers to create their own box where they can pick the number and type of toys, treats, grooming products and accessories.
- Q. What are some challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
- We were to launch on March 23, 2020 and that is the day when over a televised speech our PM announced the lockdown. That was the time we realised that people would only rely on established brands and we did not have a good chance, so we pushed the launch to July, 2020.
People don’t trust their credit card details with new companies like ours and still prefer to use cash on delivery. Indians in general are very selective about the websites they trust their credit card information with, and we have a large volume of orders that go out as cash on delivery even though our payment servers are completely secure.
Then during the lockdown we lost some customers. People were curbing expenses and a subscription for dog treats and accessories is probably not a high priority for everyone. We are addressing that through our gift box where people can buy individual boxes instead of subscribing.
- Q. What are you trying to achieve?
- I want to establish a name for myself on my own, apart from the family business. I also want to spread awareness on how to treat dogs better. For example, in India, terms for dogs are used as abuse, I want to change that. I want to encourage people to take better care of their pets. There are pet parents who shower their dogs with love and attention but there are far more people who don’t treat their dog well, they treat it as an animal.
The Dog Box's Most Happening Offerings
Shiny Silver Wag On
A monthly subscription box which is curated keeping your dog’s exact needs and preferences in mind. Has a host of products in every box from toys, treats, grooming products, accessories and much more!
Starts from ₹ 2,000.00 per month. However if you subscribe for longer durations, your monthly price for the same box can go to as low as ₹ 1,650.00 and you get a host of other benefits like extra products, special birthday month goodies, etc. It is the perfect box to indulge your furry friend on a monthly basis. You can buy it here.
Gift Boxes
One time buy boxes are ideal to gift to either your own fur-ball or to other dog parents. 4 uniquely crafted pre-set boxes, each having an enviable mix of toys, treats and much more. Price starts from ₹ 990.00 per box and goes up to ₹ 2,490.00. Check them out here and buy the one you love.
Make Your Own Box
Launched a new section called Make Your Own Box wherein you can pick and choose from our entire range of products.
No minimum buy value, so if you want you can buy a single product also. However, the higher your box value, the greater your discount/saving. You can make your own box here.
Where Can You Find Them?
thedogbox.in
The Dog Box's USP and Stringent Quality Control Initiatives
- Q. How do you ensure quality?
- Food and grooming products are the two main categories where a lot of care has to be taken as they can cause a lot of problems for the dog if they are not proper. We have tied up with good, established brands that are known for quality as well as for making products from natural ingredients, omitting chemicals.
For toys and accessories I have personally visited the manufacturing facilities to see the process and gauge the quality. We also test everything that comes in, due process. If it doesn’t pass our quality checks we do not add it to the box. We also have a 100% return policy or cash back in case a faulty item does reach the consumer, or if they don’t like it and want it to be replaced.
- Q. What makes The Dog Box unique?
- Apart from customised subscriptions, customers can create their own box with exactly what they want - whether it is more toys and treats, or grooming products. Subscription boxes for consumer goods as a concept is very new in India and many customers would hesitate to subscribe for something they do not fully understand; it can seem like a big amount of money and although the product categories and quantities are specified, they don’t know what exactly they will get until they receive the box.
To counter this we have introduced the Gift Box, a one-time purchase through which customers can understand what comes in a subscription box, and if they are not comfortable with a subscription, then they can simply buy the gift box as and when they want.
- Q. What are your interests and how did you spend time during the lockdown?
- The stock market! From morning to 3.30 in the afternoon I’d research and learn about investing and trade. Then cards with the grandparents and board games in the evening. I spent a lot of time with my family during this period. I live in a joint family of 11 and when I went away for my education I lost a lot of time with them so it was nice to be able to be at home with them. We also worked out together. I am getting into fitness and like to work out every day. I used to read a lot, a habit I’ve lost and am trying to revive although I’m more into audio books now.
What's Next for The Dog Box?
We have launched a pilot for the gift box very recently and it has not yet been announced anywhere, we are mum on social media. We are planning a big marketing campaign and launch as we get only one shot at bringing the customers back.
Expert Tips for Pet Parents on Dog-Care and What to Look out for When Buying Food or Grooming Products for Them?
There is a lot of debate on kibble and whether it is good for your pet. I say kibble is not good. What is best for your pet is fresh homemade food. And there are a lot of brands which offer homemade style meals that are devoid of chemicals. As people we would not like to have packaged and processed food every day, so why would our dog? It is not good for us and it is not good for them.
Apart from that, I would say spend time with your dog, look after their mental wellbeing. They give us unconditional love and all they want in return is some affection and attention. When you get home, give them a hug, spend 10 minutes with them.
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As a Pet Parent Shower Your Dog with Love and Adulation
Just like your children your pet dog also needs your time, love and caring in equal measure. Monthly subscription boxes from The Dog Box are a great way to indulge your pet. It not only gives you an excellent opportunity to express your affection to your pet dog but also becomes an effective means for a stray dog to be fed adequately, and to survive out there with dignity.