Mobile Massage Discovery
This is my personal project researching mobile massages, especially in a Singaporean context.
Competitor Analysis
I downloaded competitor apps, analysed, took screenshots and put them together in a PDF. You can access it here.
Detailed competitive analysis can be accessed here
Overseas
Companies: Urban Massage(UK, France), Soothe(US, UK, Aus), Zeel(US), Blys(Aus), Zennya(Philippines), Zen Now(Aus)
- Consumer and Therapist apps: Some companies provide apps for both parties. Web is the alternative option for therapists to log in to manage their bookings.
- Streamlined bookings: Consumers are free to make new, edit and track their bookings whereas in therapist apps they are able to manage their booking schedule and reduce management overhead with the service.
- Reliable support: Live chat, call, help desk and FAQ are being provided to give consumers more confidence to use their services. After session feedback for both sides is collected to improve future experience.
Singapore
Companies: Massage-On-The-Go, Aleyda, SoleHouse
- Traditional booking method: Almost all of the mobile massage services that I managed to find rely on websites to show their services. Consumers need to call, check with staff on available date, give their personal info over the phone and wait for the therapist to come.
- Massage trial on E-commerce website(Eg: Fave): Some companies put on their trials on Fave as a way to attract consumers. When consumers purchase the trial, they call the center to book and use the coupon for the service.
User Interviews
I started off asking my friends and colleagues for interviews and extended my network to talk to therapists via email and online messages.
Consumer side
- Manual reminder system: Some of the companies call customers 24 hours before the booking for confirmation on their booking and reschedule over the phone if needed.
- Reviews first: Once consumers decide which massage center to go for, they go to TripAdvisor, Facebook, simple Google search(or Google Customer Review) or ask friends who went before them etc to ensure it’s reliable.
- Packages with different prices: It’s irritating that consumers are being upsold to use different massage oil or massage combinations with different prices and add-ons to make sure consumers buy a package with them.
- Security concern: Most users are not comfortable to have a stranger in their house. However they are willing to try if their therapist is someone they know or there are strict security regulations to protect them (some users mentioned AirBnb as an example)
- Massage type: Users do not have much clue on their massage procedure but they care if it’s a full body massage, shoulder back massage or pressure point massage. In Singapore context, some users prefer TCM massage, a form of Chinese manipulative therapy often used in conjunction with acupuncture, moxibustion, fire cupping etc. This is quite different from the massage types offered from overseas apps (Swedish, Pressure point, Sports)
Therapist side
- Group event: Corporate events have a higher demand due to lesser security concerns hence they are given more attention than personal bookings. Massage centers provide therapists with the transportation to the event venue.
- Empty slot and non-flexible working hours: For therapists who works for massage center, as bookings are managed by the center management, sometimes therapists find themselves idle for hours.
- Word of mouth: Some freelance therapists rely on word of mouth recommendations (usually for post-natal massages) from consumers for their services and manage their schedules manually.
Security and Privacy
Security is the main concern from both therapists and consumers. I spent more time researching how existing competitors tackle this problem from interviews and feedback from Glassdoor and Indeed.
Online Payments: This is the only payment supported as it encourages transparency and better transaction tracking between both parties.
Sanity check: Some companies hire a third party to run a fraud check on consumers. If provided information seems suspicious, staff will call consumer for a verification check.
Cancellation policy: Consumers can request refunds based on the hours before their bookings. For last minute cancellations, therapists receive compensation for time they have set aside for consumers.
Therapist gender: Consumers are able to choose the gender of their therapists based on their comfort level. Common options: female, male or either.
Other precautions: Therapists are GPS tracked and Urban Massage takes a step further by providing panic button to therapists to ensure their safety.
References:
https://couriermedia.co/2017/10/11/one-app-making-sure-masseuse-comfortable/
https://www.bodywelltherapy.com/has-massage-become-a-commodity/
Glassdoor: Zeel, Soothe, Urban Massage
Indeed: Zeel, Soothe, Urban Massage
Conclusion
It was an enlightening experience for me to know about massage industry. Due to limited resources in my personal project and I was forced to step out of my comfort zone, be proactive to reach out to massage community (Messenger private message/email) for user testing.
Amy Cheong is a software engineer at Tigerspike and she’s also interested in getting herself busy hands-on with personal projects. Here is her Twitter, LinkedIn and personal website.
