Top Successful Marketplace Ideas to Rule the On-demand App Industry

The online marketplace is ever-expanding and is generous with many business opportunities. From the year 2020, the online marketplace has been seeing a sharp escalation, and the reason is undoubtedly the pandemic situation.

Here, the discussion will be about the multi-services on-demand app solution and what are the different categories of the on-demand sectors that are experiencing steep growth. Let us get in!

List of potential on-demand business ideas

1.    Grocery delivery business

One of the quickest growing on-demand businesses is the online grocery business. Though online grocery ordering and delivery was in existence, the pandemic has relatively increased the need for online grocery ordering and door delivery.

If there are on-demand businesses that have been positively impacted by the pandemic, then the grocery delivery business will top the list. Let us look at what stats reveal about the scope of the on-demand grocery delivery business.

• In the year 2018, the online grocery sales in the U.S region alone contributed to 23.9 billion USD.
• The worldwide online marketplace of grocery delivery businesses will value $84460 million by the end of the year 2025.
• Also, by the end of 2021, the online grocery sales in the U.S will be 16 billion USD.

The most prominent rulers in the online grocery marketplace are Instacart, Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, etc. Some of the prominent challenges involved in every grocery business are the operational costs and packaging. Since grocery items are perishable ones, you must give more attention to them while packing. Possibilities are there where the package can be damaged.

So, you must perform quality checks before dispatching the grocery packages. For the grocery delivery business, either you can own an inventory and supply groceries or else you can partner with grocery stores region-wise and supply grocery items through them to the users.

2.    Home services business

Again the home services business will append the list of prominent on-demand businesses. TaskRabbit, Hello Alfred, Your Mechanic, Handy, etc., are some of the top-most players in the on-demand home services business in the U.S. When you take the Indian marketplace, then Housejoy and Urbanclap are the rulers in the on-demand home services business.

The list of jobs included in home services is home maintenance, floor cleaning, renovation, painting works, plumbing, electrical works, etc.

• Let us look at the search percentage of different home services. Packing and moving have recorded 80% of the searches.
• The percentage of searches recorded for appliance repair, carpet cleaning, electrical works are 64%, 65%, and 58%.
• Similarly, the percentage of searches recorded for locksmith services, pest control, roofing are 73%, 75%, and 62%.

Also, research shows that people are not aware of any home service provider while they search for the services online. Alright! Before booking any services, users will first gather ideas of the services provided by the company/service provider by reading the reviews. So, let us see the behavioural pattern of users on how they consume the reviews/ratings.

About  86% of people are reading the reviews before booking any service from the service provider. Chiefly, around 57% of users will opt for a service if it has more than 4 stars in the rating section.

3.    Liquor delivery business

The liquor industry, too, faced many challenges during the pandemic circumstances as bars were closed. That was the time when the sales rate of online liquor delivery started increasing and also became a feasible option for tipplers.

Drizly is a famous alcohol delivery platform, which delivers a variety of alcohols, liquors and other supplements to users by partnering with local alcohol delivery partners. During the month of March 2020, Drizly has stated that their sales percentage has amplified by 3%.

Some of the challenges tangled with online liquor sales are license and government regulations, age restrictions, and proper shipment. Some of the users may falsify their information to buy liquor online. The general age criteria for online ordering of liquor 18+. Only with multiple verifications can you identify the users who are eligible to purchase. Another challenge is the shipping of liquor/alcohol to users without any damages.

4.    Health and fitness

You may find it vague to read how the pandemic has positively impacted many businesses. But that’s the fact, and we can’t deny it. The increasing awareness of health and fitness among people has triggered the usage of online health and fitness apps.

Over the past few decades, in order to start a business, there is no need for a brick and mortar set-up. All you need is a feature-rich mobile application and website. So, if you are interested in the fitness and wellness marketplace, you can invest in on-demand fitness and healthcare apps.

Through the healthcare apps, users can avail of the consultation from doctor/healthcare specialists 24×7 (which is subjected to the concerned doctor’s availability). Likewise, post availing of the consultation, users can also order medicines via the app. On the whole, the online marketplace of healthcare and fitness will be a boon to users as they can get a consultation, book appointments and purchase medicines.

5.    Beauty services

On-demand beauty services are slowly creeping into the queue of prominent on-demand businesses. Many parlours and beauticians are extending their services on-demand to users. A dedicated app for availing of beauty services has a variety of benefits for the users. For instance, users can book appointments through the app and then visit the parlour. By doing so, the user will get more preference than others.

Similarly, users can also book appointments for doorstep service by specifying the date and time. The parlour service provider will reserve that date and reach out to the user.

6.    E-learning and tutoring

The e-learning marketplace is standing tall among the other online platforms. The uninterrupted availability of internet facilities and smartphones at economical prices have a major impact on the development of e-learning platforms.

While a few years before, online education materials were not available like how it is available today. Thanks to dedicated e-learning websites like Coursera, Udemy, HubSpot, etc.

Some of the e-learning portals are focused on providing courses for professionals, while some e-learning portals are dedicated to school and college students. For example, HubSpot is a platform for working professionals, while Byju’s is a platform for school students.

Also, some platforms let users book home tutors based on their expertise. So, you have got different options in the e-learning platform.

7.    Freelance marketplace

Freelancing jobs are becoming more effective than full-time jobs in various ways. Since the freelance job sites list a pool of projects, a freelancer can shortlist the project that really kindles their interest. Moreover, freelancers can get more income than regular jobs, and they can take up work based on their availability.

Final thoughts

The on-demand sector is experiencing a wider scope, and there is no contradiction regarding the same. So, it is all about how you favour the opportunity for your business.

You can host a pool of on-demand services via a single app, and for that, you need to launch an on-demand multi-services app. I hope that you are clear about the promising online marketplace ideas. So, the best time for you to be an entrepreneur is now. All the best!

Jennifer Atkinson is a content writer. Having worked with tech experts, she has gotten lucky to author in-depth guides that teach entrepreneurs, ways to build, grow and scale their business in the on-demand industry. Learning new tech news and jotting them down to a plan for people is her favourite pastime.

Online marketplace stock photo by McLittle Stock/Shutterstock

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