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| source// Lefteris Pitarakis/AP |
Gone are the days of picking up the phone to order what you need. Banished to the annals of history are the weeks spent waiting for a workman to have a slot free in his diary to fix your faulty plumbing. The on-tap service economy has arrived – and it’s about to change the way you live.
Offering the power of flexibility whilst cutting the fixed overheads associated with traditional service-based businesses, everyone from handymen to couriers, beauticians to bakers can benefit from the consumer-focused approach of on-demand apps.
Sure, it can take away the “I know a guy” niceness of personal referrals and oust the significance of experience in favour of per-ride reviews – just look at Uber in London – but these always-there apps put service provision at your fingertips in a way never before possible.
Think the best you can do is hail a cab from the comfort of your sofa? Think again.
Here are ten of the best on-demand apps for instant life improvement.
Honourable Mention: Borrow My Doggy
Pining for a pooch but just too busy to adopt one of your own? Try borrowing one. No, don’t go pinching a pug from the park – give BorrowMyDoggy a whirl, instead.
Sure, it’s not quite a service app so much as a mutually beneficial exchange of canine pals, but it’s a godsend for hound-owning holidaymakers and those after a short-term fluffy friend alike.
Flying faraway without your beloved Buster? Forget the faff of finding someone responsible enough to take care of your four-legged companion – BMD has a vetted (sorry) profile-based system for matching your needs with would-be borrowers. It’s as easy as arranging a meet and greet and leaving your dog with a trusted dog lover who’s bound to be happy housing your hound.
The Uber of pup-sitting, BorrowMyDoggy is a properly pawfect 21st Century subscription-based solution to otherwise expensive dog supervision.
10. AnyVan
Shipping something? AnyVan is an on-tap alternative to costly couriers – and it’ll shift just about anything.
Simply list the item(s) you want transporting – from pianos and cars to furniture and home removals – and movers will come back with competing quotes. Choose the cheapest (or the most appealing) and wait for the pickup. It’s that easy, and quotes are free.
What’s more, with a raft of positive testimonials, it’s a surefire way to cut the hassle from door-to-door delivery. It even offers an eBay delivery service, complete with integrated feedback for peace of mind. Talk about packing power.
Why waste time searching for the best box-shifting deal when the firms will bid for your business? With providers based across the UK, coverage is impressive and quotes highly competitive – and, with no obligation to accept any of the offered quotes, you can always look elsewhere if it’s not what you need.
9. Shyp
From one shipper to another, Shyp is a wholly-integrated US-based courier service that comes to your door.
Comparing every available provider – including man in a van staples FedEx and UPS – to offer the best quote, Shyp’s service includes a professional packaging service handled at its warehouses, saving you precious dollars by cutting out the waste of excess materials.
In-app estimates are but a tap away, whilst Shyp’s specially trained service staff will turn up at the door in a jiffy (less than 20 minutes, to be exact), ready to bag and tag your gear for a safe onward journey.
From returning unwanted purchases to safely sending gifts, using Shyp is as simple as snapping a photo of your item, entering its destination and waiting for a collection. Forget all-day waits for careless couriers or long queues at the post office: Shyp is all about sending with a smile.
Think it sounds like a fad? With US$60million in venture capital funding already raised, Shyp’s backers reckon it could well be the future of sending, well, everything.
8. Priv
In need of a makeover? Keep those slippers on: Priv is a sleek app that brings beauty services straight to you – wherever you might be.
From manicures and massages to haircuts and spray tans, Priv lets you select the services you want, who you want to provide them and when. Then, it’s as easy as waiting in for your wellness boost.
Available in selected cities across the globe (including London, New York and Austin), Priv is free to download and pricing is inclusive of tips and taxes. Fancy a spruce elsewhere? You can sign up on the website for updates as to when on-tap beauty will reach your area.
7. Mopp
Here’s one to clean up your act: Mopp makes trusted cleaners available for just £10 per hour.
If you’re after a regular service, Mopp can send someone to shine your surfaces weekly or fortnightly, and it’ll be the same member of staff every time. Had a party get out of hand? You can also schedule a one-off clean-up.
All cleaners are background-checked and personally interviewed by Mopp, as well as being highly-rated by previous customers.
What’s more, with no contracts, instant confirmations and customer service available every day, it’s never been easier to book in a clean.
Forget the fear of a mother-in-law’s visit: Mopp makes dust-free dreams a rapid reality.
6. Doughbies
On. Demand. Cookies.
If that isn’t enough to sell the on-tap app revolution to you, few things will be.
OK, so the sumptuous snacks of Doughbies are only available in California (for now) – but it’s hard not to be excited about same-day delivery of freshly baked doughy delights, whenever your fancy is taken.
Handmade by the local team, there are treats for every taste, be it an old classic (chocolate chip with sea salt) or something new (Snickerdoodle).
Feeling generous? You can even treat a cookie-loving chum with a Doughbies gift card.
5. Urban Massage
Feeling the strain from last night’s game? Urban Massage puts professional massage at your fingertips, sending therapists to your home, office or hotel – within 60 minutes.
Enter your postcode, select your treatment and prepare to be pampered: with a team of more than 300 trained and trusted therapists available to offer in excess of 20,000 types of treatment, every day sees a stream of positive Tweets singing the virtues of UM’s service.
Presently available in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Urban Massage even offers a 100% money-back guarantee if you feel your knots haven’t been best-kneaded.
A 60 minute session by a single therapist will set you back just £65, with longer sessions and multiple masseurs costing more.
4. Bizzby
Ditch that directory: Bizzby puts professionals just a tap away. Boiler broken? Fusebox frazzled? Bizzby’s network of cleaners, handymen, electricians, plumbers and more have the skills to set you straight.
Matching demand with supply, Bizzby will bring a service provider to your porch in less than 60 minutes (the average response time is 62 minutes and 25 seconds) – and, with no subscriptions in sight, it’s a truly simple transaction.
Type in your postcode, choose what you need and Bizzby will offer an instant quote and delivery time.
Need some personal improvement? Bizzby also has personal trainers and beauticians on its books, so you can trim your tummy as the gardener trims the lawn.
3. Task Rabbit
A form of freelancing for everyday tasks, Task Rabbit matches time-blessed locals with household errands for some extra pennies.
Whether you need a helping hand at your party or someone to queue for you, a wardrobe organiser or green-fingered gardener, Task Rabbit’s vetted team of taskers make it a cinch to outsource the chores you just can’t face.
With straightforward hourly pricing, cash-free transactions and bundled insurance should anything get bashed by accident, Task Rabbit makes that to-do list look a whole lot more doable.
It’s largely US-based (though London is also on the list), for now, but with a growing community of happy-to-task workers, Task Rabbit might just be the future for odd-job earners.
2. Deliveroo
Pedal-powered snack convenience for the smartphone generation, Deliveroo works with local restaurants to deliver toasty takeaway to your door – courtesy of a cheery courier.
Orders are delivered on average within 32 minutes – though you can select a different slot if you’re not ready to munch just yet – with locally available stomach-pleasers displayed based on your postcode.
Pricing is transparent and estimated delivery time is shown up front, whilst you can even include a tip on your cash-free order to avoid any awkward expectations.
Simple and scrumptious, Deliveroo delivers deliciously to you, hassle-free.
1. Laundrapp
No need to air your dirty laundry in public: Laundrapp will do it for you – and give it back freshly pressed.
Simply stick in your postcode and book a collection for sharply-starched suits, seven days a week.
With prices starting as low as just £2, Laundrapp can locally handle shirts, smalls and the rest, as well as dealing with dry cleaning as and when.
Prices are set at the start, so there won’t be any unexpected stains on the transaction, with your good-as-new nighties delivered back to you wherever and whenever suits.
Leave behind washing machine bills and dry cleaning delays: Laundrapp covers most of London and a good deal of the UK, meaning there’s no excuse not to be clean. Now that’s all-white convenience.
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