This article was originally written by Holly as a sponsored post on VentureBeat. You can find the original article here.
It’s that time of year again when everyone returns to work after enjoying some much-needed time with their family and friends, having abandoned their daily routines entirely. Like us, you may be avoiding that growing pile of laundry in your apartment or putting off battling the lines at Safeway. Luckily, with the convenience of on-demand apps, you can focus on your peace of mind instead of your lengthy to-do list.
These on-demand companies are known for shaking up their respective industries and helping consumers approach problems with a fresh perspective. If you’ve ever taken an Uber, or ordered a quick meal from Sprig, then you’re aware of the increasing convenience of completing daily tasks and errands. The on-demand economy is changing how consumers interact with businesses, evolving from simply exchanging money for goods to allowing them into our lives and impacting our daily routines.
While transportation apps have grabbed the lion’s share of venture capital in the last year — with Uber pulling in 39 percent more funding than all other on-demand services combined in 2014 — there are a number of other industries ripe for disruption. So, how can these apps help beyond getting you a ride across town? Well, we’ll tell you:
1. They’ll make you dinner
You come home from a long day at work, and the last thing you want to do is figure out what to cook for dinner. The problem is amplified when providing for a family who might all want different things. By delivering gourmet food that you only have to heat up, Munchery solves both those problems for you in an instant. By valuing happy customers over profit, they tend to draw strong communities of supporters, have unparalleled ease of use in-app, and offer promotions competitors are unable to match. We’ve found that their transparency is also a serious draw for consumers. Why would you order take-out when you don’t know where the food comes from and the delivery time is hardly ever accurate? Thanks to Munchery, you can order in-app, pay a set rate for dinner, see where the produce is grown, and know exactly when your food will arrive. Customers are beginning to realize they don’t have to settle for subpar experiences anymore, thanks to the on-demand economy.
2. They make sure you’ll never have to go to the laundromat ever again
Living in a big city has its many perks. You don’t have to own a car, everything is within walking distance, the list goes on and on. However, most urban-dwellers will agree that the laundromat makes them contemplate moving to the burbs on a weekly basis. Thankfully, apps like Washio and Rinse have rescued us from the land of strangers’ socks and stolen shirts. With a quick text, they’ll come to your house, pick up your laundry, and return it washed and folded just a few days later. Before you know it, Washio and Rinse will disrupt the laundry and dry-cleaning industry. David Frankel of Founder Collective put this process simply in our latest webinar on the on-demand economy, “If something’s being done a certain way, but it’s a pain, and you can substitute that in a way that’s much more convenient, you’ve got a terrific commercial opportunity.” Our panelists agreed that home services was the next industry to be disrupted by the on-demand economy. So, what’s next? On-demand dish washing? Instant interior design?
3. They help you avoid the dreaded post office
Americans spend roughly 37 billion hours each year waiting in line. Many would argue that much of that time is spent in line at the post office with grumpy people and understaffed stores. Luckily, Shyp braves the post office so you don’t have to! This on-demand shipping service allows you to simply take a picture of whatever you’re trying to send, alert someone to pick your package directly from your home, and take it to their warehouse to pack and send it off. All for only $5. If you could put a price tag on peace of mind, we’re guessing it would be much higher than $5, especially during the holidays.
4. Feeling sick? They’ll go to the drug store for you
We’ve all been there. Coughing, sniffling, wrapped in a blanket and wishing your mom was there to take care of you. You realize you should probably go pick up some more tissues, cough drops and soup, but you can’t bear to leave your couch. Postmates recently partnered with Walgreens to provide the drug store essentials delivery from 600 Walgreens and Duane Reade stores nationally. Not to mention, they can also bring you some of your favorite local foods, regardless of how you’re feeling.
5. They keep your fridge from going empty
There’s a common joke where someone keeps opening their refrigerator in hopes that food has magically appeared since last time. Thanks to apps like Instacart, food can magically appear in at your apartment (it’s up to you to put it in the fridge), with just the tap of a button. US Consumers visit the grocery store twice weekly for 41 minutes each trip. That means avoiding trips to the grocery store could buy you 2 Game of Thrones episodes a week! In our on-demand webinar, our listeners predicted we would see heavy disruption of the food and restaurant industries in 2016. According to consumer data discussed in the webinar, on-demand users spend 73 percent more on groceries with apps like Instacart. But still, on-demand apps only make up 7 percent of total consumer spending. With this incredible opportunity to acquire more users, we anticipate even more growth and innovation in the food delivery space. In other words, we predict you’ll be well-fed in 2016.
