Reminder to Review Your Pricing on Rover
Start preparing for more clients by reviewing your current pricing. Because sitters on Rover set their own rates for each service, there are several things to consider when doing a refresh.
We turned to sitter on Rover, Sylvia Wes, for some tips on how to price your services. View the full video here or read the quick recap below.
- Check out other sitters’ prices in your area. Many people set their prices lower in order to attract more clients, but don’t undervalue or underprice your work. It’s helpful to look at other sitters’ prices in your area to see what’s typical. Be firm in the value you bring to your community and to your clients’ lives. Also don’t be afraid to test out different prices points. If it’s not working, you can always adjust them again.
- Set holiday rates. Services on Rover are in high demand during major holidays, and it’s potentially more work for you to care for pets on these days—set your pricing accordingly. Sylvia recommends setting your prices for those days 15-20% higher. You can do this in the additional rates section of your profile.
- Set an additional pet rate. If you don’t set an additional pet rate, the cost to the client will just be your rate times the number of pets. Sometimes taking two dogs from the same household, for example, is only marginally more work than one dog, so you can set your price to reflect that. This will be attractive to clients, as paying double can get pricey.
- Set a puppy rate. Puppies can be a lot of work! It’s reasonable to set a slightly higher rate for dogs under 1 year old.
- Consider a pick up and drop off rate. Sylvia offers both pick up and drop off for her clients at an additional cost. Often, pet owners are willing to pay extra to make the pick up and drop off experience more convenient. If you set a pick up and drop off rate, clients will be able to select it as an add on while booking your services.
- Set cat-specific prices. If you want to offer cat care, make sure to check the cat care box in your pet preferences. Because cats may require a different level of care than dogs, you can set your pricing accordingly.
- Set a 60-minute rate. Sylvia gives a great explanation about this in the full video.
- Consider locking in your rates for regular clients. Sylvia likes to give her recurring clients locked in pricing. That means they’re grandfathered in if she raises her prices. This may only last a certain period of time because ultimately she is getting more experience, which all clients’ pets benefit from.
Learn more in the full video with Sylvia here.