On-demand digital services promise fast delivery of products and services so we can get anything, anywhere. Do these new conveniences lead to instant gratification?
Pippa Amanta conducted a survey with 1,512 respondents across the UK to test whether users of on-demand services have a shorter willingness to wait compared to non-users. Among people who have used ride-hailing, 48% expected the ride to come within 10 minutes compared to 23% of people who have never used it. Meanwhile, for people who have used next-day delivery retail (for example Amazon Prime), 31% expected their online shopping to be delivered by the next day, compared to only 11% of non-users. A full analysis with more robust statistical testing will be coming out soon.
The expectation of faster delivery will have implications for the environmental impacts of digital services. Faster delivery often requires intensive last-mile delivery operation and prevents consolidation, resulting in higher energy consumption and carbon emissions in ride-hailing and retail.
