On-Demand Massage app Development (Soothe App) : How Soothe Massage App Startup Raised $31Mn?
Soothe, a massage on-demand startup, secured $31Mn in series C funding from The Riverside Company. The startup has moved its location from Los Angeles to Las Vegas recently, and has expanded the massage platform to newer areas and markets. Earlier, the CFO of the company had expanded the startup’s soothe network to over 1100 massage therapists. How would the platform help the therapists? It would price them 3x times the local markets and get them more business. For the users, it is on-demand and available at the convenience of their home.
How soothe massage app works? (Soothe App Work Process)
Like any other mobile based on-demand service, this too has a mobile app that you can use to connect with the massage therapists in your locality. You will need to book the massage service you need, and the app will get the best rated massage therapist at your doorstep.
You get to choose from a variety of massage services such as Sports, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Pre-Natal etc. available on the app. Select the style, the time and the location, and get your massage delivered at home.
For the therapists, you will get the bookings made for you through the time, the locations you will be visiting as well as your ratings. You don’t need to go out and find someone; the app does it for you.
The app makes sure an insured, vetted and experienced massage therapist meets the user at their convenience and comfort.
What makes the app so great?
There are certain incredible features in this app that make the app so friendly and interesting.
» Differentiated offering: This is the first time that we are seeing a differentiated version of on-demand that has grown popular instantly. People are stressed across countries; Soothe found that no app offers the convenience of a good massage. This point of differentiation not only got them accepted, but also helped them get investors on-board.
» Pricing: The price range for the different massage services are spot-on. You will find that these therapists are in sync with the pricing offered when you go to the massage salon. In this case, the pricing gets you the massage therapist at home for home massage, and will be more comfortable.
» Professionals on-board: The app has made sure they have professional, with licensed or certified and experience massage therapists on-board. The app offers complete security while giving the convenience through the services. This combination definitely makes it popular.
» Flexibility: This is more from the professional’s perspective. The massage therapists can book the appointments and work as much as they want to. They only need to accept the work they wish to complete for the day. They can go offline, once they believe they have earned for the day. This flexibility allows massage therapists to not only earn a good amount of money but also manage their work and balance their life.
» No setup needed: The users don’t need to setup anything in order to get the therapists at home. The therapists brings their own table and other setup. They are available for every day of the week (including holidays). This means the users simply have to book the therapist, and the rest of the things are taken care of by the therapist. This no setup needed works in favor for so many people.
» Couples Massage: Couples can also enjoy spa experience and other service without any hassle at their home as well. It’s not necessary that they come to only hotel rooms.
How to build your own on-demand app?
Uber has definitely raised the bar for on-demand apps. You want nothing less than an Uber for the on-demand ideas you have, and have had validated.
On-demand apps have captured the investor’s attention, and you have more chances of showcasing what you have and getting investment for your idea. However, working on your on-demand app, you cannot forget the need for differentiation and convenience.
Most of the on-demand apps in the current times are startups that want to make it big. So, let’s see what all you need to consider when developing an on-demand app to get a good investment.
- Type of on-demand platform: Do you want to offer end-to-end solutions or you want to work with aggregators? This question needs to be answered in order to provide the apt solution. Soothe, for instance, is an aggregator app. It connects the providers of massage i.e. the therapists with the users, and makes sure all the bookings are routed through the app. They don’t have therapists on-board; they have tied up with the therapists. They have the obligation of maintaining the timeline of the therapists and keep up their appointments.
- Benefits and Features: What kind of features and benefits do you wish to provide to your customers? The features and benefits should be defined before you start working on developing your on-demand platform. For instance, if fast service is something that you are adding as a benefit, make sure you have tie-ups with the right people. Secondly, if you want people to track the arrival of their goodies, then you might want to include GPS navigation system and real-time tracking abilities in your app. Accepting and rejecting order should be possible via the app. You should have a good payment gateway integrated to your app. Make sure you don’t miss out on the ratings and reviews. Basically, work on the benefits and features, and keep it slightly different, if you want to intrigue your user’s interests.
- What you have: Make sure you work with what you have before you start including things you are not sure you have an expertise in. for instance, if you are already working with POS vendors, then you might want to use it when developing the on-demand app solution. You might want to develop an independent app that calls the POS functions and minimizes the complications Check for the API that you might want to include, the functions you need to call and other functionality that you might want to add if you are developing the mobile app for your already existent business. You will need to start from the scratch,if you are developing a business and the app, all at the same time.
- Development cost: You will need to bear in mind the cost of developing an on-demand app. If you add all the features at once, your cost of development might go high. Start with basic features and then move your scale up. Make sure you work the features that you want included as well as the functionality that the app will carry, before going on floor with your idea. This will help you get the exact cost of development and the contingency fund that you might need. You should always work in phases for the on-demand app development. You will derive a better solution with the app.
Summing it up
It is not just enough to have a good idea, you also need an app to gain the attention of the investors. If you are a startup willing enough to differentiate and offer convenience to the users, you might not only gain the investors’ attention but also their money.
You should have a road map defined for your on-demand app and should create a well-defined application with clear features and apt functionality to perfect user experience.
Coruscate validates the idea and defines and develops a mobile app that seeks the investors approval and their investment. If you have an excellent idea, then connect with us over email ([email protected]) or phone ((0261) 255-5553) to convert your idea into a probable solution.