Price the groom
and the journey.

Do not price a mobile appointment like a salon appointment

A mobile appointment uses grooming labour plus travel labour and vehicle resources. The van also carries fixed costs such as insurance, servicing, depreciation or finance. Treating travel as free can reduce the effective hourly return even when the grooming price looks healthy.

Industry guides often describe mobile services as carrying a premium over salon services, but the useful number for your business is the premium your own route economics require rather than a copied percentage. See Groomify's mobile pricing guide and The Academy of Pet Careers' mobile grooming guide for examples of how travel and route costs affect pricing.

Separate travel distance from travel time

Distance and time are different costs. Distance drives fuel, tyres, servicing and depreciation. Travel time consumes working hours that could otherwise be used for another appointment.

For shared routes, allocate a fair portion of the total route to each appointment instead of charging every customer the full route cost.

Route density changes profitability

Four appointments close together can produce a very different day from four appointments spread across a large radius. Route-planning guidance for mobile groomers repeatedly highlights drive time and service-area density as important pricing variables.

Track average travel minutes per appointment for a few weeks. If the number is higher than expected, either tighten the service area, add location-based fees or raise the base price enough to recover the lost capacity.

Set a minimum stop value

A short service can still require driving, parking, setup, cleaning and payment processing. A minimum charge prevents a technically profitable service from becoming a poor use of the route once non-grooming time is included.

Count the van honestly

Vehicle cost per kilometre or mile should reflect more than fuel. Include a reasonable allowance for servicing, tyres, insurance, depreciation or finance and other running costs relevant to your setup. Do not use a tax mileage allowance unless it genuinely represents your economic cost.

Protect your hourly return

Compare pre-tax revenue with the total time invested: grooming time, travel time and unavoidable setup or cleaning. If the effective hourly revenue is consistently weak, changing only product prices will not solve the problem.

The calculator shows effective hourly revenue alongside the recommended price so you can spot this quickly.

Tax and payment fees still matter

Mobile format does not change the need to separate tax from profit or account for card and booking fees. Use the rate and registration treatment that actually applies to your business.

Build the price from your route

Enter the actual dog, service time, travel distance, travel time, vehicle cost, monthly overhead and target margin rather than relying on a generic mobile premium.

Related guides

• Dog grooming business costs
• Dog grooming profit margin
• Pricing formula explained