33 ms·

I see Uber, Lyft, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, etc and I can't understand why they take the market by storm like that. They are not the first to ever think about th

I see Uber, Lyft, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, etc and I can't understand why they take the market by storm like that. They are not the first to ever think about that, their service isn't super great (except for Amazon, I'd say) and still, in the US, it seems like the market just sits and waits for them. Then a majority of people jumps in and the thing skyrockets. Meanwhile, in other countries, small to medium-sized companies have had online groceries ordering for many years, local taxi unions have had websites and recently apps, and still... it's like OMG so much innovation from US companies let's give them crazy valuations. What gives? Is it market size?

jdminhbg 10y ago
I'm not on the Amazon Fresh/Instacart trend yet (and may not be -- I really enjoy grocery shopping and frequent different farmers' markets, so it's not a problem I need to have solved for me). But as for Uber/Lyft, the reason they're vastly more valuable than whatever local taxi website/app is convenience and lack of friction. When you get an Uber, you don't have to worry about payment or directions; it's all handled for you. When you get to a different city, you don't have to google the local taxi companies and pick one; you just open Lyft and get a ride.