Unlike traditional marketplaces, Bark focuses on matching customers with service providers through lead generation rather than direct transactions. This blog explores Bark’s business model, platform workflow, and lead-based marketplace approach before outlining how entrepreneurs can build a similar platform. It also explains how Yo!Gigs supports both lead-generation and commission-based marketplace models within a single solution.
Necessity is the mother of invention, and an increasing dependency on convenience and flexibility has contributed to the rising demand for service marketplaces like Bark.com. Today, the online on-demand home service marketplace is growing with a CAGR of 15%. The market size is expanding, and it is expected to reach revenue of USD 10.4 billion in 2029.
If you are looking for a comprehensive guide to build a service marketplace like Bark.com, this blog is information-backed with all the guidance one might need to start their business in the on-demand service industry.
Table of Contents
Bark.com- A Global Service Marketplace to Hire Local and Online Professionals
Bark.com was founded in 2014 by Andrew Michael and Kai Feller, with its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. The platform connects service seekers in different categories with experts in their respective fields. It operates as a digital marketplace connecting local handymen experts as well as online and digital service providers with the service seekers.
Generating huge revenue for more than a decade, the company is now spread across eleven markets around the world, including the UK, the US, Canada, France, Germany, South Africa, India, and more, making it a global marketplace extracting market benefits of the industry.
Niches Catered By Bark.com- Service Marketplace
Bark.com- the lead generation platform caters to multiple niches with respect to the customer demands. The on-demand marketplace has expanded its service categories from online to local home services. Some of these specialized categories offered by this versatile platform are listed below.
- Home Improvement Services
- Health and Wellness
- Weddings and Events
- Tutoring and Education Services
- Legal Services
- Technology and IT Services
- Marketing Services, and more.
USPs of the Bark.com Service Marketplace
Exploring the unique selling points of a market giant assists a new business owner in identifying the unmet gaps of the marketplace, as well as gaining expertise from their marketing strategies.
- Pay-to-Bid Model
- Global Reach
- Efficient Matching System
- User-Friendly Experience
- Customer Support and Transparency
- Over a Thousand Service Categories
Market Competitors of Bark.com
Bark.com is a proliferating business with over 1.5 million registered users on the platform from nine global markets. The service marketplace competes with other home and online freelancing service providers with different business models and market strengths, such as Angi, TaskRabbit, Houzz, and more.
1. Angi
Revenue Model
- Subscription Model
- Lead Sales
- Advertisement
- Membership, and more.
Formerly known as Angie’s List, the platform is known for connecting vetted service providers with service seekers in a wide array of categories. The company was founded in 1995, with its headquarters in Denver, Colorado. It is a well-known leading home service provider in the US with a large user base, client base, and employees.
2. TaskRabbit
Revenue Model
- Service Fees
- Commission Charged
- Gig-Based Commission, and more.
TaskRabbit was founded in 2008 to connect service seekers with skilled home service providers. The platform assists clients in finding immediate assistance from local taskers or service providers through the gig-based work model. TaskRabbit has now registered over 150 thousand taskers and more than 1.5 million users on the platform. The platform was acquired by Ikea in 2017 and has been a constant medium of home renovation for clients.
Suggested Read: Learn How to Build a Service Marketplace like TaskRabbit
3. Houzz
Revenue Model
- Advertisement
- Sponsored Listings
- Commission
Houzz was founded in 2009 in Palo Alto, California, with global service offerings in a variety of home renovation categories, such as decoration, furnishing, civil engineers &contractors, and more. It connects homeowners with skilled service providers. The website has registered over 65 million user types with advanced functionalities, aligning with the latest technology to deliver the best services.
The competitor analysis provides a competitive edge to a new business owner. It assists in identifying the latest trends, unmet market gaps, new technologies, and emerging market opportunities. All the analysis provides a competitive edge to a new business, along with insights on optimizing the product development, market strategies, and performance of the platform.
Curious to Create a Service Marketplace Like Bark.com, Angi, or TaskRabbit?
Understanding The Business Model of Bark.com
Bark.com has established itself as a market giant in the service industry, and learning from its business model will present a new entrepreneur with the concept of value creation and customer satisfaction, which has been accomplished by the platform on a larger level. Therefore, this section acquaints a new business owner with the business model of Bark.com, which comprises its workflow and revenue model.
Workflow of the Platform
The aggregator service platform connects two user types on the platform: skilled professionals and clients looking for services. Bark.com offers a wide array of services with more than 1000 categories.
1. Service Seeker or Client
- Clients register on the platform and post the job or service required.
- The platform applies sophisticated algorithms based on skill, availability, and location to match the relevant local professional with the client.
- The service providers receive an RFQ (Request for Quotation) from the clients.
2. Service Providers or Skilled Professionals
- Service providers register on the platform with the selected services.
- Bark.com provides targeted leads directly to the professionals.
- Service providers purchase credits to unlock client details if interested.
- The service providers can also avail exclusive offers with Bark.com Premium.
Revenue Model of the Platform
A well-planned monetization plan is essential for the sustainability of your service marketplace. Hence, this section displays the revenue model of a service marketplace like Bark.com that can guide new businessmen in adopting similar streams and earning profits.
- Credit System: Bark.com is known for its credit system. This system is used by professionals to unlock leads or job details offered by the client on the purchase of credits from the website. It displays contact details of potential customers and allows professionals to bid for the job.
- Subscription Model: The skilled professionals on the platform pay monthly fees for enhanced visibility of their profiles. The professional profile is then viewed as ‘Elite Pros’, increasing the hiring possibilities of the service providers. Additionally, this model also includes premium features for the buyer.
- Dynamic Pricing: The dynamic pricing model is interlinked with the credit system. The cost to contact the clients varies according to the job value, service type, demand in the market, and more.
Bark.com monetizes both volume and quality of leads on the platform with the help of these revenue streams. Professionals invest in a valuable job opportunity, and service seekers or clients can post a job for free, providing more job opportunities. Next, the blog acquaints businessmen with researched steps essential to build a seamless service platform.
Steps to Build a Service Marketplace Like Bark.com
A service marketplace like Bark.com requires a precise and structured market plan that aims to solve modern users’ requirements. Therefore, it requires careful planning and execution from a new business owner. Below is a detailed layout to assist in making a successful business plan.
1. Choose a Marketplace Model
Before investing in any industry, analyze the sector’s profitability and make a plan balancing market trends with technical execution. Bark.com presents an opportunity for both the local home service industry and specialised digital services on the website.
In 2023, the hyperlocal home services and digital service marketplace had a recorded market size of USD 3,379 billion and USD 120 billion, respectively. Both industries display lucrative numbers. Therefore, the aspiring entrepreneurs can choose to invest in a service marketplace that aligns with demand in their location or launch a platform catering to both industries.
2. Conduct Market Research
Market research is a crucial step that will decide the future perspectives of the business venture. Meticulous market research begins with understanding the customer pain points, preferences, challenges, and industry trends collected through user surveys. Along with this, a detailed competitor analysis with a review of their pricing, services, technological innovations, and more is essential.
Presently, the service industry caters to numerous niches such as handyman, education, healthcare, car service, freelance, and more, so identifying and equipping an underserved market niche with a website assists business owners in defining their unique selling point (USP).
3. Choose Essential Features
The functionalities of your service marketplace set it apart and determine the platform’s success. Add features that align with the website’s USPs and niche. Prioritising the UI/UX design and customer satisfaction will reap profitable benefits.
The three user types of a service marketplace should include dedicated features. Given is the divided list.
| ADMIN | SERVICE SEEKERS | SERVICE PROVIDERS |
| User Management | Multiple Job Types | Bidding Module |
| Order Management | Direct Invitation | Job Cancellation Window |
| Analytics & Reports | Advanced Job Posting | Calendar Booking |
| Commission Management | Multi-Currency & Multi-Lingual | Robust Management Dashboard |
| Custom Task Categories | Ratings & Reviews | Service Packages |
Suggested Read: Learn How to Build a Feature-Rich On-Demand Service Marketplace
4. Select The Revenue Model
Careful selection of monetization strategies creates opportunities for new business owners to expand their businesses. Integrating a mix of fully operational revenue streams, one can quickly realise the breakeven point. Here are the ideal modes of earning revenue on a service marketplace like Bark.com.
- Commission Fees
- Service Fees
- Featured Listing
- Advetisment
- Partnership
- PPC Campaign
5 Select a Developmental Approach
This is a crucial step in selecting a developmental approach that determines the success of the service platform. It determines the scalability, functionality, and performance of the website. The market has numerous ways to develop a service marketplace like Bark.com, but primarily, there are two developmental approaches: custom development or readymade software.
- Custom Development: The custom development method requires a dedicated team of developers and designers who build the website from scratch in accordance with the requirements of the business owner. The method involves a high financial and time investment for launching your app. Additionally, a new business owner with no technical background may witness total dependency on the development team.
- Readymade Software Solution: On the other hand, there are readymade software solutions that allow a swift installation of the software with no prior code knowledge required by the business owner. These solutions are expert-developed, pre-built with numerous third-party integrations, industry-specific features, and in compliance with the latest trends. This no-code solution assists entrepreneurs in the cost-effective, quick launch of the website.
The readymade software solutions assist businessmen to enter the lucrative industry, irrespective of their educational background. It also eradicates the complexity that arises with the custom development method, making it a preferable developmental approach.
Looking for Customizable, Ready-Made Software to Develop a Service Marketplace Like Bark.com?
6. Configure and Develop Your Service Marketplace like Bark.com
The next step is configuring and designing your marketplace, aligning with your business requirements. Setting up the important pages, such as the landing page, homepage, contact us, and about us page, establishes the website branding. This can be attained by creating a unique website logo and trademarks using prominent fonts, colors, and more. Design your marketplace in an intuitive and user-friendly manner, and provide a seamless onboarding process on your marketplace.
7. Launch and Market the Marketplace
Launching the service marketplace is the final step for entering the service industry. After the configuration, an entrepreneur starts promoting the service marketplace, so it reaches the right audience for expansion.
There are numerous ways in which the platform owner can market the platform, onboarding early freelancers with lower or no commission charges, introducing promotional offers& discounts, and more.
Subsequently, it will invite more traffic to the website. The platform owner can also use an SEO-friendly approach, targeting local or digital service keywords. Additionally, applying attention-grabbing social media campaigns that highlight the USPs assists in building a community. Partnerships with influencers or local businesses are a more effective marketing approach that increases business for a new website in the service industry.
8. Scaling and Optimising the Platform
The launch of the service marketplace, backed up by a rigid and scalable framework, is ideal for the growth of the aggregator platform. The platform owner can implement loyalty and incentive programmes to retain and invite more user types to the platform. The scalable capabilities of your website assist in geographical expansion. Overall, staying adaptable and adjusting to the changing marketing dynamics assures the success of your online service marketplace like Bark.com.
These steps will assist an aspiring entrepreneur in creating a competitive marketplace that is scalable and customizable with the requirements of the niche, market trends, and features that ensure long-term success in the local and digital service platform. The market offers numerous options to create a service marketplace like Bark, but choosing an expert software provider. Therefore, the next section introduces you to Yo!Gigs- the world’s only service marketplace software for both.
How can Yo!Gigs help?
Yo!Gigs is a cutting-edge, readymade, on-demand service marketplace software solution that assists new businessmen in launching their service website in multiple niches, specialising in the handyman and freelancing industry. Developed to seamlessly connect service providers with service seekers, the software is feature-laden with the latest industry-specific functionalities that streamline its business operations.
Yo!Gigs is meticulously designed to cater to the requirements of all stakeholders. The software is a versatile solution for multiple service industries. With a ready-to-deploy approach, the software is capable of reflecting your unique idea and value proposition. Additionally, Yo!Gigs has assisted numerous businesses in realizing their business goals and launching their niche vertical with the tools and flexibility offered.
Listed are the key benefits and features that constitute the superior software solution.
Key Benefits
- White Label & Self-Hosted
- Fully Scalable and Customisable
- One-time Cost
- Quick Launch
- 1 Year Free Technical Support
- Free One-on-One Demo
Key Features
- Advanced Job Posting
- Multiple Payment Gateways
- Multiple Job Types
- Direct Invitation
- Job Cancellation Window
- Calendar Booking
- Bidding Module
- Analytics and Reports
- Custom Registration Fields
- Custom Task Categories
- Custom Service Packages
- Commission Management
- Reviews & Ratings
- Messaging Module
- Multilingual & Multi-Currency, and more
Secure a Free Personalized Yo!Gigs Demo With The Market Experts
Final Takeaways
Successfully create a service marketplace like Bark.com may seem like a cumbersome task, but with proper planning and implementation, it can be achieved systematically by following the right steps. This blog presents the strategic approach, essential feature requirements, and a comprehensive guide to achieve this goal.
Investing in a readymade, robust software like Yo!Gigs connects you with the market experts who offer continuous support for the launch of your service marketplace. The software offers fully customisable and scalable capabilities to assist new businessmen in implementing their business ideas and expanding their business manifolds. Get in touch with the market experts and leverage the benefits of the on-demand service industry.
Frequently Answered Questions
Q 1. How to create a service marketplace like Bark.com?
If you are looking to create a service marketplace like Bark.com, this is the right time to invest in the business venture and launch a successful business. Given below are the strategic development steps at a glance.
- Conduct Detailed Research
- Identify the Market Gaps From the Customer Feedback
- Formulate the Unique Value Point for your Platform
- Build the Service Marketplace like Bark.com with your chosen development method
- Market your service platform for increased traffic
- List vetted professionals on your platform
- Extend Robust Customer Support
The business owners and entrepreneurs can refer to detailed guides to garner more information and launch a successful service marketplace like Bark.com.
2. How much does it cost to develop a service marketplace like Bark.com?
The cost to develop a service marketplace like Bark.com highly depends on the development approach chosen by the business owner. Essentially, the custom development approach and readymade software solutions are the most sought-after methods.
The development cost ranges from USD 1,500 to USD 500,000, depending on the chosen method. For example, readymade solutions, such as Yo!Gigs, offer a cost-efficient option with high customization and scalability. On the other hand, custom-developed solutions are built from scratch and require a higher financial investment. When considering Yo!Gigs pricing, you’ll find it to be a budget-friendly solution with all the essential features needed to launch a home services marketplace.
3. Which is the best approach to build a service marketplace like Bark.com?
The best and recommended approach to build a service marketplace without indulging in extensive development costs is readymade software solutions. The turnkey solutions are feature-packed with essential industry-specific functionalities. It promotes business growth without hindering the platform’s performance, henceforth extremely scalable. A business owner with little to no technical knowledge or coding experience can also build a service marketplace like Bark.com with a readymade software. Yo!Gigs is a fully operational software designed to fulfill all the requirements of a business owner. Consult the experts to know more.
