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The On-Demand Economy – Disrupting Everything in 2019

Jan 03, 2019
By: Marissa Camilli

As disruptive technologies go, nothing has shaken-up the economy more than the smartphone. In recent years, apps have completely changed the way we buy services like taxi rides, accommodation, and food delivery. Business sectors that previously had no digital footprint are now synonymous with technology, and we expect the on-demand economy to continue to grow unabated in 2019.

While names like Uber, Lyft, Air B&B, JustEat, and Deliveroo are household names around the world, on demand business touches many other areas of life. With this in mind, we wanted to share some of our favorite on-demand apps – some you might have heard of, and others that might be new to you.

Spiffy

Spiffy is an on-demand car wash and detailing company which allows users to schedule a wash within minutes from their mobile app or website. The service is provided at the client’s home or office location with regular alerts keeping users’ informed of the progress of the job.  

As well as changing the way people are washing their cars, Spiffy is also making great strides in reducing the environmental impact of keeping your vehicles clean. A “Green” Spiffy wash, where 100 percent of the water is recycled, and there is zero run-off, typically only uses between five and 15 gallons of water. This compares to between 30 and 70 gallons at a bricks and mortar car wash, and more than 100 gallons when washing your car at home.

TaskRabbit

If you love buying flat pack furniture but hate assembling flat-pack furniture, TaskRabbit is the app for you. Acquired by IKEA in 2017, the app has more the 140,000 taskers on hand across cities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, to help users move heavy boxes, build, mount and install furniture, as well as offering a wide range of handyman services.

With average “tasks” costing between $46 and $117, TaskRabbit offers an affordable alternative to DIY and will almost certainly save you from sudden spikes in blood pressure when struggling with those self-build projects.

Instacart

Everybody deserves a personal shopper – right? Now, thanks to on-demand services like Instacart, many of us can actually afford one.

Instacart offers an on-demand grocery shopping service with a difference. With no warehouses or trucks, the service employs part-time workers who deliver products from a range of supermarkets using their own cars.

The beauty of Instacart is that it allows consumers to have their groceries delivered from stores that don’t currently have their own online shopping service, including large budget supermarket brands such as ALDI and many independent stores. This creates a balance between availability, choice, and budget.

GlamSquad

Now you don’t have to worry about washing the car, fixing up the house, or doing the weekly shop, why not treat yourself with a visit from the GlamSquad.

GlamSquad’s on-demand beauty services can provide hair, makeup and nail treatments from 6am to 9pm in and around New York City, Los Angeles, Orange County, South Florida, Washington DC, Boston, and the Bay Area.

And if you’re worried about having to clean your home before the GlamSquad arrives, check out the Q&A on their website — as long as you have surface and a power socket they can work from — they really don’t care. Happy days.

OpenTable

The on-demand economy isn’t just about delivering great stuff to your door. How about an app that gets you out of the house. OpenTable is the app you should turn to before booking your Uber and heading into town. With access to 47,000+ restaurants around the world, you’ll never find yourself struggling to find a table on a night out.

Demonstrating the power of the app, OpenTable finds restaurants for more than 26 million diners every month. These diners than go on to write more than a million restaurant reviews every month. With this in mind, there really isn’t a more powerful voice in the restaurant business than OpenTable.

Doctor on Demand

The on-demand economy isn’t just about convenience. Doctor on Demand is an app that aims to look after your health by providing 24-hour access to a medical professional within minutes via video link.

Doctor on Demand can help users with health questions about conditions such as cold and flu, allergies, depression and anxiety, skin and eye issues, and even issues requiring urgent care.

While all the apps mentioned in this article offer their users convenience, flexibility, and choice, Doctor on Demand demonstrates how the on-demand economy can deliver real life-changing opportunities.

What’s Next for the On-Demand Economy?

It’s an exciting time for technology brands to enter and ultimately disrupt the status quo in all manner of business sectors. Looking forward to 2019 and beyond, the on-demand economy promises to change the way we work, rest and play. Business organizations who don’t get on-board risk becoming less relevant to their audience. If there is one certainty in this age of disruptive technology – it is always better to be the disruptive force rather than the disrupted.

To learn how Digital Turbine can help your organization favorably position your on-demand app in the market, helping you become a dominant force in your industry, talk to one of our app experts today.

Marissa Camilli
By Marissa Camilli
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