On-Demand Dog Walking App : A Feature Insight To Fill The Trust Gap

Say yes to the fact that we all are in the constant search of an exceptional startups idea, and whenever we hear a success story of any startup, it motivates us.

As mobile apps are the most talked-about trends in 2020, with 96.3% app market captured by Android and 90.4% by iOS. The ever-increasing popularity of on-demand apps has encouraged individuals to uncover the dimensions of business with the right app development company for crafting their niche.

These on-demand apps allow the user to request service from their comfort zone at any instant. Startups and entrepreneurs are opting for on-demand apps like food ordering, booking a cab, on-demand delivery apps.

Presently, a new category is emerging “ On-Demand Dog Walking App “.

As we understand, Dogs are man’s best furry mate. It’s quite difficult to disagree with this statement, as there are 1.4 million dog owners. They all consider their pet as a part of their family. So, it’s rightly said that dogs are more than best friends. It’s not surprising the pet owners pay a lot to take good care of them. Even, the USA pet industry was worth $86 billion dollars.

However, it’s a known fact that taking care of your naughty four-legged pal isn’t always fun and easy. Instead, it can be quite tedious sometimes. Seven in ten Millenials would eagerly take time off to care for a new pet if their employer offered. People take getting a pet vigorously — especially opting a dog. And as there are a lot of offices workers among the dog owners, deficiency in time for walking dogs is a common problem.

No matter how busy you are, your dog has its needs. It’s mandatory to feed them on time and taken to walk at the time.

This is the reason why the digital solution for a dog walking app came into inception. Earlier, dog owners had to find a trusted dog walker ahead of time, as a dog walking businesses worked offline. But, this won’t be of great help if a dog owner unexpectedly had to slay late at the office or tangled between the long-lasting traffic jams. For instance, on-demand dog walking app works excellent for planned and unplanned dog walking services.

There are few apps for dog walking in the pet care industry already. But not all of them have accomplished heights of success. Some inexperienced web and mobile app development companies in Dubai pay special attention to integrating core features like maps, messaging, online payments gateways.

But viable platforms, like value users, so they focus on pet safety to attract dog owners. Trust and security are the distinctive milestones of pet care services. So, here we are going to talk about how to build your on-demand dog walking app that earns user’s trust.

“How” Does Dog Walking App Works

Foremost, it’s essential to check out how the dog walking platform works. We have selected Rover and Wag! Among the examples. The core objective of this on-demand dog care services is to connect dog owners with the available dog walkers through mobile apps and websites.

In these both apps, security is paid the uttermost concern. They check the dog walkers who apply to the platforms to ensure they are reliable. Here we are going to discuss this a little briefly. Dog owners register on the platform and provide their homes address as well as their dog’s size and age.

Once the registration is done, dog keepers can find walkers nearby and books walk instantly or even at a scheduled basis. If a dog owner suddenly realizes that they are running late to take their dogs out, they can immediately schedule a walk.

The app’s GPS tracking feature allows users to track their dogs while they are walking. Dog walkers also share photos and provide updates to dogs owner while walking. This helps owners keep track of their pets as they are being walked.

Of course, dog owners can meet their walkers to get to know each other and to make them meet their dogs. These first-meet-and-greets are undeniably important, as they get a rough idea are their flurry mate comfortable with the walker depending upon their dog’s reaction.

These first meet-and-greets are essential, as dog owners should choose walkers in part depending on a dog’s reaction. The next comes, the “satisfaction”. If a dog owner is satisfied with the walker they meet, they can start using their services. Rover and Wag app let users pay online to their dog walkers for the service. Approximately, a 30-minute dog walk costs around $15–25 depending on the region.

To make sure both dogs walkers and owners are trustworthy, dog walking platforms also provide online and phone support as dog owners know that the platforms will intervene in case of any difficulty.

The Features That Fill The Trust Gap

People put the finger on the platform that is trusted and safe for taking care of their furry mates. Just saying “ you can trust your dog to the walker” is not enough. Thus, it’s important to have a mechanism in the app that make your platform safe and secure. To make this a soon to be a reality, it’s unskippable to align with the credible app developers in Dubai.

Below, I have shed some light on the features that will help in fulfilling the trust gap.

Must Have 1: A Background check — “Dog Walker”

Whether you are a noob or are an experienced in dog walking app, you will apply to the platforms to earn money. And, it’s your sole responsibility to check all of those users and dog owners can trust you.

So, the initial step here is that dog walker provides detailed information when they register themself with the app. The walker’s profile should consist of the following credentials.

Personal Credentials

The personal information of a dog walker includes their photo, age, gender, and name. Moreover, the dog walker can register through social platforms so that there are not any anonymous and the dog owner can have a background check of their potential dog walker.

Phone number, email and address

It’s advisable to tell the dog walkers to put their address in the app so that the owner can find and locate them easily within their arms stretch. Also, the user adds their phone numbers in case the owner wants to contact them.

Experience

An experience that counts. The dog walkers experience in the same trade makes a huge difference for their job. As every pet has a different level and way to manage them and that makes them a behaviour specialist.

Price

The dog walkers should be able to select the price for their services. You should also test potential walkers to make sure they can walk dogs without an accident.

Whereas, for those who are new to such service, some provide learning materials too. Like Wag! this platform tests its walker on dog handling expertise. Sometimes this involves a quiz on general dog care and safety.

To understand it better, let’s take an example of different collars and harnesses. Dog walkers have to be informed bout them and pass a test to make sure they can tie the collars properly and accurately.

Schedule

Time is essential for dog owners, so they should see when walkers are available.

Must have 2: Frequent Updates On Walks

If you have to build your platform with the help of reliable and experienced iOS and Android app development, undeniably it is a trusted platform. As being a dog owner, it’s essential to stay connected about anything that happens with their pets. Integrate notifications into mobile apps and sends text messages or emails to users of the desktop version to notify them with walk updates.

Here is a glimpse of the information you can share with the dog owners.

Time — It’s a critical aspect for dog owners to know exactly when the walker comes to their house to take their dog for a walk. It’s also important to know when the walker returns back the dog home. Walkers should use your app to proffer the start and stop times.

Map- The two famous dog walking apps Wag and Rover provides live GPS tracking option. You can check how much distance their walkers have taken them for and see the total distance covered.

Pee, poo, food, and water breaks — Well, let’s keep in mind the reason the dog owner request walks on the reliable platform. The dog’s need is the uttermost priority. Dog walkers should notify about what dogs do while they are on the walk.

Photos — It’s great if dog owners receive photos of their pets while they are on the walk. So, they can see for themselves that everything is fine with their favourite family members.

Dog walker’s note- All the above listed notifications are crucial, but a note from a walker is also essential. Your platform can lend a hand for questions that a walker has to answer, such as “Was the dog gentle?”, “ did the dog meet any other dog while walking?”

Or it is totally up to the dog walker what to report after the walk.

Must Have 3: Integrated Payment Gateways

Whether it is an iOS app development or Andriod, the safety of your dog walking services is a must. So, it’s better to avoid cash payments. You should implement an online payment, that is handy for dog owners as well as dog walkers. Online payments also prove beneficial for your on-demand walking platform, as it makes taking fees easier.

Must have 4: Ratings, Reviews and Feedbacks

To make your app stand out in the crowd, users should be allowed to provide feedback on each other. Dog owners should rate the service walkers provide. This is another mechanism for proffering a safe platform where the dog owners trust the service they book.

Community feedback may take numerous forms such as ratings, reviews, votes and comments. Dog walkers should also provide reviews and ratings of their walking experience so that all users can trust community feedback.

Abiding Thoughts To Make Sure Your Dog Safety First!

It’s tedious to attract dog owners than walkers to your on-demand platform. And, if you don’t have a dog owner ready to pay for the walking services, dog walkers also won’t be able to join the platform.

So, the leading Android app development company like Xicom Technologies pay particular focus on value proposition focused on dog owners. For instance, you can integrate a feature that’s almost like stories on Instagram or any other social platform. The dog walkers share the live video while walking. All users can view the live videos, that actually act as the bridge between the audience and the providers.

However, on-demand dog walking app development may seem a walk of cake at first glance. But, don’t forget that such a platform has to work seamlessly on both the devices — desktops and devices. And, it’s crucial to integrate a feature that makes sure safety comes first; otherwise, it may be hard to attract dog owners to build your platform a repetitive hot pick of the users.

However, if you find it stumbling how to start right, find the right partner for iOS app development in Dubai that fills the trust gap in your dog walking app. Your amalgam with the right technology partner create a trustworthy and popular platform with lots of users and scaling more pet services, such as adding dog sitters to your platform.

What you are waiting for to curate your niche in the dynamically changing technology era.

You don’t need to be the next wag or rover. But it can be one of your own!

So, if you want to rationalize your on-demand app idea all you need is a Free Project Discussion with a team of proficients that deliver unique solutions at a price that is second to none in the industry.

Originally published at https://www.xicom.ae on April 15, 2020.