Healthkart launches fitness app 'Fitup' to tap into the protein supplement space

Gurgaon-based startup Bright Lifecare Pvt Ltd, which runs the online health store Healthkart.com and the drug search marketplace Healthkartplus.com, has launched a fitness app 'Fitup' to aid consumers in finding the right protein supplement.

"The app allows users to calculate their body mass index (BMI) and suggests daily protein intake accordingly. It also enables them to select fitness goals and provides product recommendations so that users can buy the supplement directly from the app," Prashant Tandon, co-founder and MD of Healthkart said.

The firm recently entered into new sub-categories within fitness with products like equipments for trekking, cycling, etc. It is now planning to launch a pet products category. The company has around 20,000 SKUs and aims to increase this number to 30,000 by 2014 end. According to Tandon, the average size of transactions on Healthkart is around Rs 2,000.

It is also planning to open up two more offline stores in Delhi. Tandon had earlier told Techcircle.in that the reason for opening brick-and-mortar stores was that the offline retail market for fitness products is significantly large but underdeveloped. They already have about two stores in Bangalore.

Founded in 2011 by Tandon and Sameer Maheshwari, Healthkart sells products in a broad range of categories such as fitness & nutrition supplements, sports nutrition, health devices, personal care, eye care and parenting, as well as the recently added home appliances section. The company claims of receiving about four million unique visitors every month.

The company has also introduced a drug interaction feature that allows users to find cheap substitutes for expensive medicines and intimates the user if there is a danger in consuming two drugs. The feature is a part of the HealthKartPlus app that leverages technology to help users understand their medicines better.

Going forward, the startup would be focusing heavily on using mobile interface to expand the business. "We recently brought in Gaurav Agarwal as CTO, and with him on board, mobile is our core focus area," said Tandon, adding that about 35 per cent of the traffic comes from mobile.

The firm had recently raised an undisclosed amount in Series B funding led by Intel Capital, with participation from existing investors, including Sequoia Capital. Earlier, it had raised $1 million in seed funding from Kae Capital and Sequoia Capital, followed by a Series A round worth Rs 27 crore from Sequoia and Omidyar Network.