Wellness matchmaking: How Wellmatch connects clients with tailored freelancer services

In recent years, health and wellness have become increasingly important to people, especially within the young and middle-aged demographics. However, finding the right wellness provider that is in the right location and has the right qualifications can be difficult. Wellmatch is a platform designed to connect wellness service providers and clients in a streamlined and seamless manner. The platform focuses on finding the right match for individual wellness needs and aims to empower wellness professionals to build their personal brand affordably and professionally. 

Industry overview and challenges 

From fitness and nutrition to mental health and holistic healing, the wellness industry encompasses a wide range of products and services aimed at improving overall wellness. The wellness industry in the UK is a significant market – in 2024, over a million people were working in the health, wellness, and beauty industry [1]. The digital fitness and wellbeing market in the UK is expected to achieve a revenue of $2bn by year end. Furthermore, it is projected to demonstrate a CAGR of 6.18% between 2024 and 2028, leading to an estimated market volume of $2.7bn by 2028 [2]. In addition, by 2022, the average wellness spending per capita for Britons was forecasted to be £487 annually [3]. However, entrepreneurs in the wellness industry face significant challenges.  

Wellness providers rely heavily on word-of-mouth and existing client referrals to acquire new customers. However, the lack of trustworthy peer reviews is a major obstacle for clients looking for high-quality wellness services. This makes their search a difficult process of trial and error, which is not only time consuming but also expensive. Clients often end up investing in treatments that don’t meet their expectations, leaving them unsatisfied with the results and quality of service.  

Additional challenges encountered by wellness providers include struggles with scheduling, booking management, whilst also dealing with late cancellations and payment chasing. On the other hand, clients face issues such as lack of price and service transparency, difficulty in finding the right fit, and frustration over the effectiveness of treatments. Furthermore, wellness providers must deal with a limited budget to market their business via traditional channels [4]. 

Lavinia Roma founded Wellmatch in response to her frustrations as an entrepreneur in the wellness industry. After graduating as a nutrition and weight management advisor in 2020, she struggled to find sustainable and cost-effective ways to acquire customers and grow her business. She spent hours  creating content to grow her following organically, attended events, attempted to navigate the world of SEO and paid advertising, and chased friends and family to spread the word. At the same time, through her personal and professional network, she realised that wellness enthusiasts were also struggling to find effective and affordable wellness services that were easily accessible and relevant. This realisation led her to develop the Wellmatch platform.  

Introducing Wellmatch

According to the company, Wellmatch is the only UK MaaS (marketplace-as-a-service) platform designed for freelance wellness providers. The provider-centric platform is specifically tailored for self-employed wellness specialists, ranging from freelancers that provide services online, in-person, or at home. The app combines the transparency and competitiveness of traditional marketplaces with software-inspired analytics to boost provider performance. The platform also provides elements of social networks to foster a sense of community and inclusiveness.  

How Wellmatch Works 

Wellmatch is set to streamline wellness management for both users and providers. The app was designed to revolutionise the way clients fulfil their wellness needs and simplify the steps from searching to booking. With a personal account, the platform is intended for users to effortlessly navigate the selection process – filtering options, exploring services, and comparing prices. Direct communication with providers, reading peer reviews, and simple payment processes are designed to enhance the user experience.  

Meanwhile, operating on a subscription-based model, Wellmatch seeks to be a one-stop solution for wellness providers to market their services, acquire customers, and manage bookings while potentially maintaining attractive margins. Providers may benefit from sophisticated tools for schedule and price management, client outreach, and an analytics dashboard that facilitates strategic business decisions. Providers can also proudly showcase their certifications and receive valuable feedback through service reviews.  

The platform spotlights individual wellness providers, cherishing unique brands and skills and creating a community of wellness enthusiasts where circularity and cross-selling are promoted so that the community can grow together. The Wellmatch marketplace promotes price and service transparency, saving users from relying on word-of-mouth and desktop research to find solutions for their wellness needs.

 

The next steps 

Wellmatch has chosen to use Floww’s innovative infrastructure to facilitate their next funding round and help them achieve their future goals.  

In 2024, Wellmatch is set to embark on a pivotal stage in its development journey, focusing on designing a robust data architecture, crafting an intuitive user interface, and formulating efficient workflows to launch the MVP of its mobile app. Later in the year, the company plans to begin a crucial bet testing phase with a select group of target users to validate the product-market fit rigorously.  

**Floww Markets Limited is a company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Firm reference number 980098.

The information and imagery contained within this article does not represent the opinions of Floww. Floww does not have a view on opinions provided by Wellmatch in this article and elsewhere where they may be expressed, and is not responsible or liable for the information within this article.