EXPERIENCES AT PET SEGMENT
Fabio Luis Rezler
Passing through the PET sector (pets) was a lot of fun. It started as a joke, but as the projects and research deepened, the product became serious and with enormous business prospects.
The inspiration started with a personal need - to eliminate the dirt and bad odor of our little Dinie, a wonderful Cocker Spainel who brought joy to the family. However, due to the beautiful coat of the animal, our apartment needed daily cleaning, especially because of the dog's urine trail.
So I started to develop a product that put an end to this problem, something innovative, with added technology, that did not cause fear to the animal, and that could be used at any time of the day/night even without the presence of the owners at home. Thus, PIPIBOX was born, the first toilet in the WORLD for small pets.
The concept is very simple.. Just 3 basic steps:
1) install standard "washing machine" water inlet
2) install the drain in a floor drain
3) plug into 110/220 V socket
As theory, the dog takes between 2 and 4 months to adapt.
EMPHASIS: SECOND PLACE WINNER FOR BEST PRODUCT AT PETFAIR, Chicago 2011
The PET market at that time was starting in Brazil. Even the dog food was new and still conquering consumers in the country, and therefore I had some difficulty in convincing the consumer to buy a product with an investment between 500.00 and 600.00. Even so, I managed to sell close to 300 units in about 1.5 years of business.
Due to inexperience, I unfortunately suffered one of the biggest nightmares of a company - default. I made the biggest sale concentrated to a shopkeeper in São Paulo (about 130 units) who defaulted on payment and the business unfortunately fell apart.
During the development period, I took the product far from Brazil's borders, in search of consumers with real purchasing power. USA, NETHERLANDS, ITALY, SWITZERLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY and PORTUGAL, participating in sector fairs and meetings with potential investors/distributors. The business perspective surpassed the figure of U$ 5 million/year.
