Some twenty years ago, the idea to create an application that would help parents find reliable nannies was more than unrealistic. And currently, a good many users rely on such apps not only to score a full-time babysitter but also to find an emergency professional at short notice. Using babysitter apps is both safe and convenient. They spare you the bother of checking the referrals of your potential babysitters by yourself since almost all modern apps can check databases and find the best fit for you.

Moreover, with the advent of babysitter apps, lots of professional nannies got the chance to search for a job from the comfort of their home. Still, babysitter apps are designed to not only help match up parents and nannies. Building a nanny app and putting it into use can be a viable and very profitable entrepreneurial venture.

So, if you’re into web development and have first-hand experience of working with children, you can try your hand at babysitter app business. But as you know, starting a business, whether it’s online or brick-and-mortar, can be quite a tricky undertaking. In our today’s article, we’re going to help you build a workable on-demand babysitting app that will help a good many people find what they’re looking for and bring in substantial revenue.

What Do I Need to Do Before Starting a Babysitting App Business?

There is a wide range of things you need to take into account prior to building your app. First of all, it’s necessary for you to research the market you’re intending to enter and define the niche you want to occupy. Will your application help parents find temporary nannies at the last minute, connect them to full-time babysitters, or refer your users to trained child care providers or specialists having a degree in child psychology? Or maybe your app will cover all of the aforementioned cases?

Also, don’t forget about your rivals. Research other popular babysitter apps. Objectively assess their strengths and weaknesses. Thus, you’ll be able to come up with a truly unique and handy feature you’ll consequently add to your app and thus outplay your rivals. In other words, know what you can do to make your application stand out from the crowd of the apps with the similar functions.

Features You May Want to Add to Your App

To tailor your app to specific needs of your users you’ll need to introduce some handy features and functions that will set your creation apart.

• First of all, consider adding the “Near Me” function to your app. By means of this feature you users will be able to find a nanny or employer that lives nearby and see their location on the map.

• Detailed info. It’s a rare person who can pick an employee or employer without checking out their profiles and other personal information that will help them form opinion about this or that individual. So, it’s critical that you implement the “Detailed Info” feature into your app. Once your user selects it, they will see a particular person’s photo, personal information, credentials, referrals, detailed description of the services he/she provides, and other users’ reviews. This function will accelerate the search process and find the right candidate more quickly.

• Multiple payment methods allow more flexibility and revenue assurance. Therefore, we highly recommend that you let your users choose between various payment methods. Make sure that your app makes it possible for users to select cash, credit card, PayPal, Amazon Payments, Apple Pay, Skrill, or some other payment option. By doing so you’ll boost your app’s credibility and popularity.

• Facilitating the interaction and communication between parties is a key to your babysitting app’s success. It’s a good idea to add the in-app messaging or in-app chat feature to your application so that your users can reach each other in a more efficient manner. Both parents and babysitters will appreciate the opportunity to communicate in real time and get to know each other better. Furthermore, you can employ push notifications and instant messaging to notify your clients of new services, special offers, discounts, or changes in their status.

• To improve the quality of services rendered via your app and facilitate the healthy competition, introduce the “Rate and Reviews Flow” feature. It will help your clients rank babysitters inside the app and thus help other parents find the right person from the variety of candidates offering their services.

We’ve listed only some of the important features any successful babysitter should have. Still, you’re not limited to them, of course, and can implement any function which, to your mind, will help you maximize your app’s productivity and attract new users.

How Much Money Will I Need to Build My Babysitting App?

We’ll bet that you’re currently preoccupied with this question. You want to know how much cash you’ll need to fork out for you app. It’s hard to say for sure. Some startuppers may get by with minimum expenses while others spend a fortune on building a similar app. Still, developing an app can never be a cheap undertaking. If you’re not going a bundle on web development, chances are you’ll need to find professional web developers that will do the job for you.

As a rule, they charge about 10,000 for creating a babysitter app for one platform, either iOS or Android. But you also should be ready to pay for each additional feature you want to implement into your app. If you want to save a little bit, you may get by with core features, such as registration, nanny search, booking, and booking. Anyway, you’ll need to spend a bundle before you start raking in money with your app.

You should also keep in mind that development and improvement of your application isn’t a one-time undertaking. Once you release you app, you should come up with an effective marketing strategy to make your creation more recognizable and attract more clients. As you go along, you’ll be getting loads of users’ feedback. If you want to keep the ball rolling, do your best to respond to your clients’ requests and suggestions and tailor your service accordingly. Incorporate improvements and new features into your app, optimize its performance, and remain sensitive to desires and needs of your users, and your babysitting app will become a success.