Indian online player Supertails expands offline with its first veterinary clinic

Supertails, an Indian online pet supply store and health company, has announced the opening of its first physical vet clinic and that it is opening 3 more in the next few months.

Now, it hopes to address a market gap by shifting into hands-on veterinary practice with four clinics in Bengaluru, the capital of the southern state of Karnataka, considered the country’s high-tech hotspot.

“As pet parents ourselves, we understand the fear and anxiety that comes with vet visits. That’s why we’ve created a clinic that not only prioritizes high-quality care but also focuses on the emotional well-being of pets,” comment Supertails Co-Founders Varun Sadana, Aman Tekriwal and Vineet Khanna.

The company says its vets focus on the emotional well-being of pets and their owners. All vets working at the Bengaluru location will be certified by Fear Free, an organization that trains vets on reducing stress on animals.

Since 2021

Supertails was founded in 2021 as an online retailer and has grown to include 5 private labels and focuses on quick delivery in major cities. It also runs a major online pharmacy and facilitates veterinary telehealth visits.

“In our 3-year journey to build a holistic pet care ecosystem, we’ve seen firsthand the challenges pet parents face,” says Sadana, Tekriwal and Khanna.

According to the company, it fulfilled over 100,000 pharmacy orders and facilitated more than 250,000 vet visits in the past year. In the past 3 years, Supertails is believed to have served half a million customers.

Positive outlook

Supertails’ healthcare business, including its online pharmacy, made up about 10% of revenue last year. While that’s a relatively small portion of the company’s business, diversifying with physical vet clinics may open up access to customers whose pets need more hands-on care than a telehealth visit can provide.

Supertails says it wants to eventually expand the vet clinic program across India. The company aims to reach an annual recurring revenue of ₹500 crore ($57.7M/€55.0M) by 2026.

Market snapshot

India’s pet market is growing rapidly. Indian firm Tecnova estimated the country’s pet population to be 22.1 million in 2018. That number spiked to 38.5 million in 2023. Still, in a country of 1.5 billion people, that’s a relatively low pet ownership rate.

With pet ownership on the rise in the world’s most populous nation, companies like Supertails are attempting to capitalize on the need for improved veterinary health. The pet player estimates that 70% of pets in India do not receive regular vet care and that only 10% of pets receive preventative care.