If you a smartphone, working internet connection, and well, some cash, there is virtually nothing that you can’t avail at your doorsteps within just a few taps. From food and cabs to doctors and dog walkers- nothing is off the table. The last one, in particular, is one of the latest on-demand services to join the list and is one that’s like a dream come true for many.

While everyone who owns a dog has the highest level of affection and care towards them, they face two crucial problems:

1. Dogs need daily physical activities like walking or playing catch to stay fit but given the busy schedule of most of the dog owners, they simply don’t have enough time to take their dogs for a walk.

2. When dog owners plan a family vacation, they struggle to find an appropriate place for them. Generally, they drop them over to their friends or families but more often than not, they are ill-equipped to manage.

That is the reason we have seen a steady rise of pet managers but taking that concept to deliver on-demand services really has the potential to change the entire landscape. If you wish to make a business out of it, here are a few considerations that you must incorporate in your app:

Solve a problem

Don’t just offer a service, solve a problem. Research the exact problems that your potential customers face and then build a solution rather than the other way around. For instance, the dynamics of a dog walking app would be very different from a dog sitting app so must define the contours of your services even before you start building your app.

Build trust

People love their pets and they aren’t inclined to just hand them over to anyone. Your application must reflect the level of expertise and training of your dog walkers. Also, since not all dogs are the same, an even better way would be to pool your resources by the type of breed they are most comfortable with and hence build trust with your customers that their pets would remain in highly capable hands.

Add-on features

Building an on-demand dog walking app that is convenient to use offers seamless services would be enough if you were the only player on the market but since that won’t be the case; you would need some additional set of features to attract and consolidate a customer base. For instance, dog waling apps like Rover offers daily updates through video streams if you are on a long vacation. This only confirms their quality of service but also provides customers with peace of mind.

The price factor

This should go without saying but we’ll mention it anyway- price is the single most differentiating factor between two or more competitors. No matter how good services you have, price undercutting has the potential to erode your user base. With that in mind, you must also ensure your rates are priced as competitively as possible. Even absorb losses for a few quarters but consolidate your user base.

Closing remarks

With around 35% of the US households owning at least one dog, the market for on-demand dog walking apps is really huge and the sooner you launch the better chances you would have of capturing a sizable user base. And if you take all the above factors into consideration to build the best dog walking walk app like Rover, there is nothing stopping you from scripting a startup success story.