The On Demand economy is almost here
On demand is not new... ask anyone who has ever cared for an infant. What is new is the speed with which the technological infrastructure to deliver almost everything you could ask for on demand is evolving – albeit heterogeneously. The white space is obvious and the trend is clear:
Organizations will voraciously attempt to fulfill our every demand (as close to instantly as possible). This is a quest for convenience unlike any we have seen before, and it is really just beginning.
- On demand audio and video are commonplace. Business models need to catch up.
- On demand car service is emerging. Taxi and limousine commissions worldwide are in an uproar.
- On demand hotel rooms are emerging. Lawmakers and hotel lobbyists are screaming bloody murder about it.
What's next?
On demand food, shelter and transportation are obvious. On demand retail and services of every kind are less so, and the wildcards are the metaservices that will evolve to make sense of our on demand world.
What does a funds manager do when an app, that uses cloud computing to do your research based on a data-set created by your private investment behavior, replaces his job (both strategically and transactionally)?
What does a skilled repairperson do when manufacturers can diagnose problems over the public Internet and deploy outsourced semi-skilled workers who will do a better, faster, cheaper job?
What happens when the manufacturer solves your problem by deploying unmanned vehicles and robots? Too far-fetched, you say?
Remember Moore's Law, the Law of Accelerating returns, and Metcalfe's Law... it will happen in the virtual blink of an eye.