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When it comes to buying products for their dogs, owners surely want to go barking up the right site. Doggyloot, a members-only product portal for dog parents, ensures just that by offering canine-friendly curated goods day after day.
Today, the e-commerce site announced a $2.5 million Series A led by local investors Origin Ventures, with Sandbox Industries’ continuing to participate.
“Firstly, we were excited to partner with Origin Ventures as they have a track record with successful consumer-focused companies (first investor in GrubHub),” says Doggyloot CEO Jeff Eckerling. “We also were excited to have Sandbox continue to participate as they have been involved in this business since the very beginning. They have enjoyed watching us grow and evolve.”
Using these funds, Eckerling plans to plus up his team with additions to the technology, marketing and operations divisions.
“We are really focused on creating a more personalized user experience, and these funds will help us get there,” Eckerling says.
Doggyloot was founded in early 2011, grabbing customers with daily emails and subscription services—plus free shipping on all orders. Since 2000, the amount that people spend on their pets has doubled. Consider that 56.7 million American households own a dog and it may be less of a surprise that owners’ yearly expenditure tops $55 billion, according to the American Pet Product Association. To keep up with demand, raising funding was practically a necessity for Doggyloot.
“We will be able to invest in things like mobile technology and acquiring many more customers,” Eckerling says. “Prior to the funding, we were a very lean team which made it challenging to execute on our wishlist of product initiatives.”
With essentials like improved technology and customer acquisition assisted by hiring thanks to this funding, Eckerling says his team will focus on marketing efforts and building out new products.
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