The impact of hyperlocal services: It takes an app to build a community

Ever since we embraced the online medium, our beds have become our playground and the mouse our new friend. We avoid shopping malls and shopping carts, and gone are the days when we had to wait in long queues to buy something as small as a packet of instant noodles! Today, you can get almost everything from cars, groceries, medicines, pet food and even cows at just the click of a button. Geo-location services have emerged as one of the biggest sectors in our country, and have revolutionised our lifestyle, mood, relationships and health.

The friendly neighbourhood vegetable vendor with his ‘sabzi lelo sabzi’ call has now been replaced by hyperlocal online services that have a major impact on consumer behaviour.

This is not an entirely new phenomenon; old offline systems have been re-engineered with the help of technology to create a new and memorable experience.

Communities on your device

Curation is the new buzzword. If the US is at the apex of the supermarket experience, then India has become the hub of hyperlocal services.

From essential items to lifestyle items and repairing jobs, these services have helped accelerate the growth of our own neighbourhoods.

Today, GPS-based community app services like Notice have taken us beyond traditional social media portals like Facebook, which don’t solve peoples’ issues, to more one-to-one requirement-based models, where you all you need to do is share your requirements, and post your queries and notices.

Help is always at hand

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed assistance but did not know the people living near you? Balloon locates you on the Map and lets you connect to the nearest person online in case you need any help. Working professionals can’t get enough of these apps and this is why people are so thrilled by Notice’s business model. All one has to do is login to the app and switch on the GPS. This has not only saved time and money, but also has impacted carbon footprint and pollution levels,

Apps like Notice have also taken the initiative to find new talent and provide employment on the go. It has launched this revolutionary app that helps you connect to the most offbeat and untapped talent in the neighbourhood. Although there are many such apps, what sets it apart is its ease of use and seamless navigation with a robust graphical user interface.

Pros and Cons

While these e-commerce startups have made our lives much easier and hassle-free, and some are sure to stay in the market for a long time, there are always cons. With everything going online, one can’t be always sure about the quality of products and services, and the constant push for innovation of facilities and growth means our choices often become limited within these unlimited offerings. We may also become over dependent on apps for all our needs.

With the surge in these services, it will be interesting to see who survives. Till then, new and innovative start-ups like Notice will continue to try and simplify our day-to-day lives. After all, necessity is the mother of all invention!