After buying the tickets, finding the perfect dress or suit, and paying for hair and make-up, prom season can be very costly for parents – but do you know just how much it costs?

If you were to solely consider what makes up the event, such as venue hire and catering, a ticket alone would have set you back approximately £39.50 in 2016. However parents are looking at an average price of £52.50 per ticket for this year’s celebrations.

Breaking this down into services; ticket prices should cover:

• Catering – which on average has risen from £35 per head in 2016 to £46 in 2019
• Venue hire – the average price for a venue has crept up by £50 every year from £350 to £500
• DJ – A DJ for this type of event used to set you back £200 and is now likely to cost around £270 instead
• Photography – a couple of hours of photography for a prom has risen from £150 to £200

On top of the tickets, prom-goers are going to want to be looking and feeling their best when celebrating with their friends. Data from Bark.com sellers has given insight on how much you might need to spend to get your child prom-ready.

Finding the perfect suit or dress for your teenager has increased by either £10 or £30 respectively. If a manicure is on their mind, the price of nail artistry has risen from £25 to £35 and the average price of hair styling has also increased by £20, to £70 for a classic prom ‘updo’.

At least getting them to the prom in style has only crept up slightly. Sharing a limousine with eight friends, on average, would work out to be £22 back in 2016, where the same journey would now cost £25.

Service	Cost in 2016	Cost in 2019
Catering	£35	£46
Venue	£350	£500
DJ	£200	£270
Photography	£150	£200
Prom Dress	£130	£160
Suit	£50	£60
Manicure	£25	£35
Make Up	£30	£50
Hair	£50	£70
Limousine Hire (split between 8 passengers)	£22	£25

Kai Feller, Bark.com co-founder, said,

“Nowadays there’s a massive social pressure to ensure that we are looking our best, so it’s not surprising to see the cost of proms to be well into the hundreds.

“Of course, the price of services are bound to increase over time, but maybe we’re witnessing a trend where sellers are treating proms the same as weddings, and hike prices up to account for the big day.”

New insight into divorce trends has shown that pets are now being brought into divorce custody proceedings, similarly to children.

We recently surveyed the lawyers on our site about new divorce trends they’ve noticed within the last five years, and interestingly the main trend that came out of our research was that there’s an increasing number of people having custody battles over their pets – like with children.

The majority (85%) of the lawyers answered that they have seen a rise in this since 2014. A quarter (26%) say that families consider pets like children and two thirds (62%) think that the rise in pet custody battles is because people are more emotionally attached to their pets today.

In the same survey, more than half (52%) have seen a ‘significant increase’ in the number of clients writing pet custody agreements into prenuptial contracts as well, with a third (34%) say there’s been a general increase in prenuptial agreements in the UK. According to the survey results, women receive full custody of the pet in three out of five cases and less than a tenth (8%) result in joint custody. However, a tenth (11%) of the time, the couple decide to re-home the pet altogether when a decision can’t be reached.

Pets are usually treated as personal property in law and are subsequently awarded to the person who bought the pet, however 77% of the lawyers surveyed said this is being challenged more and more by clients.

Kai Feller, Bark.com co-founder, said,

“I don’t think this new trend is particularly surprising, pets become a part of the family and if that family splits, a disagreement about who the pet stays with is a very likely outcome.

“It’s clear from our survey results that there are ‘trends’ in divorce proceedings, just like with anything else in life and while 20 years ago the main dispute may have been over a house, pets are starting to take centre stage in legal battles.”

It’s no secret that Marvel films have been dominating the box office in recent years, breaking multiple records with its most recent release ‘Avengers: Endgame’. So it’s no surprise that the blockbuster films have been impacting trends in the real world.

After analysing our data, we spotted that there’s been a 151% increase in demand from women signing up for martial arts classes through our site since the release of Captain Marvel in early March – which is a HUGE spike in demand. Aside from Martial Arts, there has also seen a sizeable increase in women looking for personal training (73%) since March 2019.

So, to celebrate this new trend and to cater to the growing demand, we’ve decided to team up with one of our martial arts tutors to deliver a bespoke bootcamp, where women who are fans of Marvel can learn fight sequences performed by Captain Marvel and Black Widow, in a one-off free session in London.

For Superhero fans out there, the Marvel Martial Arts (MMA) bootcamp we’re hosting will be in London on the week commencing the 20th May. We’re expecting a very high demand for the class, so participants will be selected at random the week prior to the event. If you’re interested please don’t hesitate to register your place using the below form.

Kai Feller, Bark.com co-founder, said,

“In recent years we’ve seen a steady increase in the number of women looking for fitness and combat training. However, since the release of the Captain Marvel film in March, the number of women booking onto martials arts training has surged.

“I’m sure this free bootcamp is going to prove very popular, if our data is anything to go by! I’m excited to see how the participants get on, especially with some of the more challenging fight sequences. The professional we’ve teamed up with is very experienced and talented, I hope it inspires and empowers the women who join us!”

 

If you’re interested in selling your home, you’re probably wondering how to boost its value, with house prices across Britain increasing at the slowest rate since late 2012*. But with the number of renovation options available, at a range of different costs, home improvements can be a bit of minefield.

That’s why we’ve teamed up with a panel of our builders, interior decorators, plumbers, gardeners, home staging experts, estate agents and property surveyors to outline the best renovations/additions that help homeowners secure the highest possible asking price for their home, along with how much each improvement costs on average.  

Through analysing cost data from our home improvement experts and average valuations from our property surveyors and estate agents, Bark.com has revealed that members of the public could add £130,900 by spending just £70,200 on the below renovations:

1. Ensuite bathroom – costs £2,000, adds £5,000 to your home on average
2. Open fireplace – costs £1,500, adds £3,000 to your home on average
3. Garage – costs £13,000, adds £25,000 to your home on average
4. Modern fitted kitchen – costs £5,000, adds £10,000 to your home on average
5. Loft conversion – costs £20,000, adds £43,000 to your home on average
6. Conservatory – costs £11,000, adds £15,000 to your home on average
7. Bedroom extension – costs £10,000, adds £19,000 to your home on average
8. Underfloor heating – costs £4,000, adds £6,000 to your home on average
9. Fitted wardrobes – costs £3,000, adds £4,000 to your home on average
10. Jacuzzi bath – costs £700, adds £900 to your home on average

According to the experts, the most valuable addition is an ensuite bathroom, costing on average £2,000, yet increasing the value of a property by £5,000. If a homeowner was willing to do extensive building work, a loft conversion yields the highest return on average.

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said:

“Selling a house can be a complicated process, especially when it comes to trying to please potential buyers. However, there are several steps homeowners can take to add as much value to a property as possible.

“We’ve been monitoring the demand of our home improvement service providers and decided to do some research into the effect these services have on house prices. Some of these changes are small, such as adding an ensuite or a fitted wardrobe, but research has shown that they really do make a huge difference to potential buyers.”

*https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/housepriceindex/february2019

Our Elite Pro membership program helps businesses on Bark stand out, and reap the rewards of having an enhanced presence on our platform.

Becoming an Elite Pro offers your business a range of benefits, and our Elite Pros are some of the most successful businesses on Bark.

1. Get hired more

Elite Pros are regularly suggested to more customers and have a greater interaction with them. As a result, they’re 50% more likely to get hired than standard Pros.

2. Increased exposure to new customers

As an Elite Pro, you’ll get prime position at the top of our online directory pages. This gets you seen by more customers and, by appearing in prominent places, you’re in a strong position to win more business.

3. Stand out from the crowd

Show all potential customers that you’re an Elite Pro with our exclusive badge. Upload the Elite Pro badge to your website and let everyone know that you’re dedicated to offering an excellent service.

4. Enjoy exclusive discounts

To further help you as an Elite Pro, you’ll regularly have access to exclusive offers and discounts to help you win more business for less.

 

If you want to take your Bark profile to the next level and start winning more business, upgrade and become an Elite Pro today.

Upgrade my membership now

We’ve got some exciting news. Very soon we’ll be launching an exciting update to our directory pages to include Featured Professionals.

“What does that mean?” we hear you cry. Well, basically we’ll be giving extra visibility to some of the best professionals on Bark – and you could be one of them!

As a Featured Professional, we’ll show your profile on the directory page for the service(s) that you offer. This will increase your visibility on Bark and improve your chances of getting hired.

How will we choose who to feature?
We want to show the best professionals. We’ll do this by choosing the most complete profiles, with a particular focus on your company description, review score and Q&A answers.

Providing thorough information helps potential customers understand what you have to offer, and hopefully decide to hire you for the job.

Example of featured dog walkers

Show potential customers what you can offer

Ensure these key areas of your profile are completed to improve your chances of becoming featured and increase your hire rate by 60%.

1. Write a winning Q&A
2. Complete your Company Description
3. Achieve a great review score

There’s more detailed information below on how best to complete these.

Writing a winning Q&A

Your Q&A allows your potential customers to find out more about you and your business.

Professionals who have compelted their Q&As are almost 2x more likely to get hired over those who have not.

1) Consider your answers
Take a moment to really think about each question before writing your response.

2) Be detailed, yet concise
Include as much information as possible within the recommended target range of 150-250 characters.

3) Be honest
Coming across as genuine is very important for building trust in your business.

4) Be professional, yet friendly
Showing enthusiasm for what you do will encourage customers to choose you over your competitors. Avoid using slang words and abbreviations, and remember to check for any typos (we recommend using Grammarly).

Log in to your account >

 

Completing Your Company Description

Your company description is a great opportunity for you to explain in your own words what you do and what sets you apart from your competitors.

Information like this can be a useful selling tool when convincing a potential customer to choose your business.

Take a look at the below example to see how your Company Description can be used to drive sales.

Log in to your account >

 

Achieving a GREAT REVIEW SCORE

A strong review score shows your potential customers that others have had a good experience with your business.

How can I get more reviews and improve my score?

Add reviews badge
Add the reviews badge to your website to encourage those who may not have been hired via Bark to leave feedback.

Link accounts
Link your Google and Facebook accounts and we’ll pull through any reviews (these will show on your reviews badge).

Request reviews
Request reviews from your previous Bark customers.

Request reviews from clients you’ve secured outside of Bark
You can even request reviews from customers you haven’t secured from Bark.

Enhanced Google results
As an added bonus, your Bark reviews will show alongside your company name when you appear in Google search results.

Log in to your account >

 

Need Some Assistance?

If you require any assistance, or have any questions about becoming featured, please get in touch by emailing team@bark.com, or by calling us.

United Kingdom: 020 3697 0237 (Mon-Fri 8am-8pm & Sat-Sun 9am-6pm)
USA: (424) 227-5323 (Mon-Fri 9am-8pm Eastern)
Canada: (604) 227-5161 (Mon-Fri 9am-8pm Eastern)
Ireland: 76 888 6814 (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm)
South Africa: 087 551 7012 (Mon-Fri 10am-7pm)

Cosmetic surgery has always been well documented in the media, usually lead by celebrity examples or the new ‘vogue’ procedure that you can now have. Cosmetic surgery is everywhere in popular culture, so it’s no surprise that Bark.com has noticed a surge in demand for it.

We decided to interrogate our internal data from the last 24 months, to see exactly what impact the popularity of cosmetic surgery has had on consumer buying habits and the jobs market.

Our data indicates that over the last two years, non-surgical cosmetic practices have soared in popularity, with treatments such as lip fillers and dermal fillers becoming more accessible as more salons adopt these practices in the UK.

Since January 2017, there has been a 138% increase in the number of people looking for ‘non-intrusive’ cosmetic surgery. Non-intrusive surgery is classified as procedures that do not require clients to be put under anaesthetic in an actual hospital.

Our findings show that the most requested cosmetic surgery procedure on Bark.com is a lip filler, which has seen a 156% increase in the last two years, followed by non-surgical nose jobs and dermal face fillers, with increases of 81% and 64% respectively.

Bark.com surveyed 2,032 of its cosmetic practitioners on why they think non-intrusive cosmetic surgery has become so popular recently. Four fifths (81%) of them cited celebrity influence, a tenth (10%) said accessibility and 9% said price.

When asked why lip fillers have become the most popular procedure, every practitioner cited celebrity influence as the main reason, and when asked which celebrities have had the most influence in their opinion, more than two thirds (70%) said Kylie Jenner, a tenth (11%) answered Megan Barton and a tenth (11%) said Charlotte Crosby.

The average cost for a lip filler on Bark.com sits at £340, down 40% from the previous 24 months, however the cheapest option, according to our data, is 0.5mm of lip filler and is just £50 on average in the UK. The most expensive price for a filler treatment on Bark.com is £1800, which includes a full lip, chin, cheek, jawline and nose procedure.

Our data also shows that requests for surgical cosmetic procedures, such as breast augmentations and liposuction has actually gone down by 24% since early 2017, and the number of responses for intrusive therapies had only risen by 17%, demonstrating the rising popularity for less intrusive procedures.

Kai Feller, Bark.com co-founder, said,

“We’ve seen a huge spike in demand for non-surgical cosmetic surgery over the last couple of years. The rise of these types of procedures has been well documented in the news, and is a reflection of the society we live in, where it’s now normal and common for people to get work done to their face, so I’m not surprised our data supports that. It will be interesting to see whether this trend continues to grow.

“Our purpose is to give businesses the best possible chance of reaching customers who want their services, and with the increase in demand for cosmetic surgery, it’s encouraging to see an increase in supply on the site as well.”