Many people keep pets as a hobby, and this pet once became the companion of all time. Although, this scenario might be common in first-world countries. Even a few years ago, rearing a pet was more like a luxury and troublesome hobby in Bangladesh. The main reason was the wide unavailability of pet food. However, over the last few years, the situation has improved. Having a pet is not a luxury anymore, and many people are buying and adopting pets. Furthermore, buying pet foods is not troublesome at all due to Chaldal.com's vertical product line Pet Care.
Dogs and cats are on the list of many people's favorites in Bangladesh as pets. But, it was difficult to find proper nutritious foods for the pets; many people refrained from keeping dogs and cats at home. So, for the pet owner's convenience, online grocery shopping site Chaldal.com has created a special Pet Care category for dogs' and cats' food. From where customers get SmartHeart, Whiskas, Me o, Lara, Drools Fiskis, Mio, Delico, Purina, etc., for cats and Kennel, Bonacibo, Drools, SmartHeart, Maxi, Goodies, etc. for dogs. Let's get to know more details about Chaldal Pet Care.
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What is Chaldal Pet Care?
Pet Care is a new product line from Bangladesh's largest online grocery shop Chaldal.com. The Pet Care industry has experienced a rise in the last few years. Chaldal’s Pet Care service came into action around 2014. When the Chaldal saw a growing demand for pet food as well as pet care items, they started the journey. Over the last few years, this product line has seen excellent growth. And currently, Per Care is one of the largest categories on Chaldal.
The company started this service with dog food initially and now sells pet foods alongside the accessories for dogs, cats, rabbits, and fish. Since the demand for pet foods is increasing, the company works hard to ensure the best quality product from authentic suppliers and sources. Nevertheless, they also ensure the best possible prices for pet owners.
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Chaldal treats ‘Pet Care’ as a regular food category. So, it works as a demand pet food and products delivery service. The good thing is that anyone from all four markets- Dhaka, Narayanganj, Chittagong, and Jashore can access the pet food.
How does Pet Care source its products?
When Chaldal started the pet food business back in 2014, they struggled a lot to find the best quality product. As they were sourcing from the third party, the margin was low. Furthermore, the unavailability of the products was another concern.
But, in the last few years, they have improved significantly. They work closely with pet care products, pet food suppliers, and merchants in Bangladesh. They have built a strong supply chain. Further, they also work directly with the importers with a standard payment deal and buy upfront. Needless to say, Pet Care sources high-quality products and foods from reliable sources and then brings them to the warehouse to ensure quality and proper packaging.
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The evolution of Pet Care
In the early days, Chaldal had seen a preview of the pet products prospect. The company realized that pet care products and foods would lead them to acquire a new market. But, the company took this new market seriously in 2016, and they decided to give importance to human products.
The company made a small team and a strategy for the business development. The team contacted the vendors directly and made sure of the consistent availability of the products. Further, the company also emphasizes marketing and managing. As the company learned about the market, they managed the inventory accordingly. And finally, they have seen some excellent results.
Chaldal's Pet Care products grew significantly in 2016. After that, in 2017, they became the market leader in the online pet food business. However, they are yet to beat the largest offline pet care market, Kataban.
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After seeing the prospect, the company set up a proper supply chain as well as a mechanism to manage the customers. Now the Pet Care category in Chaldal.com has everything related to pet care which includes food, toys, accessories, and more.
Challenges
While Pet Care aims to offer uninterrupted supplies, it faces some supply chain-related challenges. For example, sometimes the importers for the high demand products stop the operation or stop importing. Further, if an importer ends the agreement, the company faces a problem.
The shortage of supply has become a consistent challenge for the company during this coronavirus pandemic. It is because of the border closure and delay in international shipping. Hence, the company is facing issues to ensure the availability of popular products.
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But they try to recover the issue by offering alternatives. However, they are working to solve those challenges.
The future
Having a pet has been becoming a norm in Bangladesh, especially in the posh area of the country. In the old days, people used to have local cats as a pet, which didn't need much attention. However, a certain social class now adopts or buys foreign breeds, and special care is needed for them. And this is on the rise. Hence, pet foods and products will see a steady rise in Bangladesh. Currently, the pet market is worth BDT 5 crore and growing.
Nowadays, pet owners in Bangladesh treat their pets lavishly. Hence, the demand for different pet products will increase in the coming years. So, Chaldal's Pet Care is a bright prospect. However, the growth of the market is lucrative, and many entrepreneurs have already emerged in the past few years. But, Chaldal doesn't seem to pay much attention to the competitors as they are working hard to improve the service along with the quality.
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