In this highly competitive world, individuals are continuously seeking expert consultation to navigate challenges in different sectors such as education, career, finances, relationships, health, and more. The growth solely in the online doctor consultation niche is expected to reach US $35.83 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 8.05% in the forecast period 2024-28. This is just one segment, other online consultation niches are also showing a positive growth.
As more people seek convenient and flexible ways to connect with consultants, creating an online consultation app presents lucrative opportunities to bridge the gap between clients and consultants. This post will guide you through the step-by-step process to create and launch your own online consultation app.
But first, let's know about the various consulting niches in the industry.
Consulting has become increasingly important in today's world, with individuals seeking advice in an array of fields. Here are some of the prominent online consultation niches.
With the advent of digitization in healthcare services, patients are seeking online video consultations with physicians, especially in situations where it is difficult for patients to visit doctors personally. Moreover, as per the reports, the projected revenue in the online doctor consultation market is estimated to reach US$26.29 billion in 2024. Catering to this increasing demand, a platform connecting doctors and patients can prove to be a lucrative business venture.
Online legal consultation platforms are gaining popularity because of the convenience and flexibility they offer to those seeking legal consultation. According to the statistics, the online legal services market has grown at a CAGR of 5.7% over the past five years, to reach an expected $13.4 billion in 2024. By launching an online legal consultation you can cater to the shortcomings of the online legal consultation industry.
In today's scenario, more and more people are getting inclined towards improving their physical fitness. However, because of busy schedules and time constraints, they are looking for online fitness consultation platforms. Also, the global online virtual fitness market was valued at $14.9 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $250.7 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 32.7% from 2023 to 2032. This increasing demand shows that this niche market is growing and offers lucrative future opportunities.
With increasing divorce rates, relationship problems, breakups, communication breakdowns, and more, the demand for relationship coaching is continuously increasing. The global online dating industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.11 % and reach $10.87 billion by 2030. This growing demand is indicative of the bright future of the online dating consultation industry.
According to a survey, 53.5% of individuals use online platforms for diet consultation. People seek diet consultations from qualified nutritionists for weight management, allergies, lactose intolerance, and other health issues. This is also a popular niche in the online consultation industry.
With the rise in the startup culture all around the world, the need for online business consultation is growing. Budding entrepreneurs as well as established business owners are continuously looking for expert advice to start and grow their business. The global business management consulting market size is expected to reach $2.8 billion by 2028 growing at a CAGR of 6.24%.
People suffering hardships in life are looking for light at the end of the tunnel. They are concerned about their health, wealth, and other problems, and are flocking to astrologers in search of remedies for gloomy times. According to a report, the astrology market was valued at $12.8 billion in 2021 and is estimated to reach $22.8 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2022 to 2031.
These are some of the consultation niches that are prevalent in the consultation industry. You can decide upon a niche depending on your business idea and future goals. Next, let's know about the popular online consultation players.
Knowing about the top players in the industry is crucial to position your business strategically, avoid common pitfalls, and navigate the competitive landscape better. Here are the top players in the online consultation industry.
Clarity.fm is a popular online consultation platform that connects entrepreneurs and budding startup owners with experts from various industries for one-on-one consultation sessions.
Comatch is a renowned online consultation platform. With more than 15000 consultants, interim experts, and a presence in 26+ countries, this platform is a popular choice for online consultation seekers.
This is another popular online consultation platform connecting startup owners and entrepreneurs with expert consultants from different fields to guide them in their entrepreneurial journey.
Catalant is a global consultation platform that connects companies with expert consultants. Entrepreneurs can gain access to a network of thousands of experienced business professionals to solve their specific problems. Till now, more than 100,000 consultants have been listed on Catalant.
Nexia Wellness is a popular online consultation marketplace connecting wellness and health consultants with clients nationwide. Individuals consider this platform for personalized health support from the right health practitioners.
After gaining in-depth knowledge about the different niches and top players of the industry, next, let's understand how you can create your own online consultation app in easy steps.
The first step to creating an online consultation app is to conduct thorough market research. Gain insights about your competitors, target audience, and their pain points. After gathering the data, do in-depth analysis and implement those learnings in your business strategy and plan.
Choosing the right niche for your consultation app is one of the most important business decisions. The niche selected by you will define the focus of your business and the target audience you will cater to. There are diverse niches within the online consultation industry, choose the one that best fits your business goals and ensures the long-term success of your consulting business. Consider the niche that is not only profitable but also aligns with your business idea, expertise, and market demand. Gain more insights about each niche, and its future scope, and then only finalize your business niche.
Deciding the business model is very important for keeping the business running on the right track. An online consultation app will connect consultants with clients and can adopt the following business models:
One-on-One Consulting: In this business model, the clients book a one-on-one session with the consultants. This business model caters to clients looking for personalized consultation. The platform helps clients find consultants as per their requirements. After completion of the session, the platform owner charges a certain percentage of the consultant's fee.
Group Consulting: Under this business model, the consultants provide group sessions to clients. Individuals seeking collaborative consultation can be catered to under this business model. The consultant charges fee from clients for enrollment in the sessions and the platform owners charge a commission from the consultants for using the platform for connecting with potential clients.
Moreover, you can incorporate multiple business models in your online consultation app depending on your business idea and market demand.
Furthermore, incorporating a solid monetization strategy on your platform that promises sustainable growth for your business is very crucial. Following are the revenue streams you can consider implementing in your online consultation app:
Commission:The admin earns revenue by predefining the commission fee that will be charged on each session.
Subscription:Another popular revenue generation method is to charge subscription fees. The clients pay a subscription/membership fee to avail services available on the app.
Advertisements:The admin can charge an advertisement fee for displaying ads on the online consultation app.
Sponsored Listing:The admin can charge consultants to be featured on their online consultation app. This also ensures better visibility for the consultants.
Features play an important role in the success of any online consultation app. Consider incorporating the following features in your online consultation app to provide an intuitive and user-friendly consultation experience to users.
Finalizing the budget helps in defining the estimates of future expenditures and detailed expenses. You can check whether you are on track and are meeting the financial expectations decided for your business. By being aware of the expenses, you can make informed investments and business decisions and can make a comparison if you are over or under your budget.
However, this budget will depend on some factors that affect the cost of the development of your online consultation app, such as features, customizations, technology stack, additional functionalities, API integration complexities, security, development approach, and more.
This is the most important step in creating an online consultation app. There are majorly two ways to develop your online consultation app:
Custom development involves developing your online consultation platform from scratch. In this development process, a team of web developers, designers, and technical experts will build your consultation app and implement your business idea. This development approach is time-consuming and can take several months or even years to build your consultation app.
Ready-made mobile app solutions are popular choices for entrepreneurs who want to quickly and easily launch their online consultation businesses without investing a lot of time and resources. These ready-made mobile app solutions offer a wide range of features that cater to the needs of a broad audience. These apps are usually easy to set up and require minimal technical expertise.
One such popular ready-made software solution that can help you launch your online consultation app is Yo!Coach.
Yo!Coach is a feature-packed online consultation software solution that helps entrepreneurs successfully start their online consultation business. This ready-made mobile app solution comes pre-equipped with all essential consultation industry-specific features. It is fully customizable, hence, you can customize your online consultation app as per your needs. Moreover, it is highly scalable and efficiently supports your business growth and increasing user base. Yo!Coach offers both iOS and Android apps for consultation seekers.
Online consultation-specific features offered by Yo!Coach include:
Other benefits include:
If you have decided to opt for a ready-made software solution to create your online consultation app, consider the following factors to ensure you make the right choice.
Flexibility:It is a critical factor when choosing your software solution. Consider the software solution that is flexible enough to meet the needs of your evolving business and online consultation app.
Security:In today's digital world, security is very crucial. Consider the software solution that provides robust security for your online consultation app and protects the user data. Look for a GDPR-compliant software solution to protect the user data on your app.
Speed and Performance:Speed and performance are important factors when choosing your software solution. A software solution that offers high speed and good performance will provide a better user experience on your online consultation app.
Advanced Technology:Considering software built on the latest technology would help you in creating an app that supports the latest trends and features. Choosing an outdated technology may lead to delays in the resolution of issues that may arise as the expertise may not be easily available. Some well-known development technologies are PHP, JavaScript, Java, HTML, C, C++, Python, SQL, etc.
Scalability:A scalable software solution ensures that as your user base grows, your app should be able to handle the increasing demands without compromising its performance.
Support:It is always recommended to choose a software solution with easily available technical support. The team should immediately provide required support via emails, calls, live chat, or any other channel.
Deciding upon a reliable software solution could be a complex task, however, by considering the above-mentioned factors you can make an informed decision.
The final step after choosing the software solution is to launch your online consultation app in the market. Implement popular marketing strategies to promote your business effectively. You can utilize the following marketing strategies:
By leveraging the above-mentioned marketing strategies you can market your online consultation business and reach out to your target audience effectively.
Starting with the process of creating your online consultation app may seem cumbersome in the beginning but by following the steps mentioned above you can effortlessly launch your online consultation app.
The future of the consultation industry lies in digital services and now is the right time to enter this lucrative industry. We hope that if the task of creating your online consultation app seemed daunting before, now it would have become more of an achievable challenge after reading this blog. With the right information, proper planning, robust technology, and the right software solution, you can easily launch a successful online consultation app.