BIA/Kelsey NOW

You’ve probably seen it throughout tech news coverage: “Uber for XYZ has launched.” It’s a business model first popularized through hailing a ride somewhere, but is now taking over a wide range of local service verticals – everything from house cleaning, to car repair to dog walking.

We’re talking about the local on-demand economy (LODE) – services that are summoned on demand through mobile apps, then promptly fulfilled offline. At BIA/Kelsey NOW we will define LODE, examine its drivers, spotlight best practices and map its trajectory.

What’s on the conference agenda? Mitch Ratcliffe, conference chair and Mike Boland, chief analyst and LODE expert, offer quick program summary.

“At BIA/Kelsey NOW, we'll sit down with the leaders in today's customer experience, contract and customer management services, as well as upstarts who are tearing down the silos between media channels to ‘close the loop’ on the marketing cycle. We’re excited about the more intimate format of this one-day program, which has been designed to stimulate an interactive exchange of ideas among some of the most influential companies and individuals focused on LODE opportunities.”
— Conference Chair Mitch Ratcliffe, senior analyst, digital media strategist, BIA/Kelsey

Among the key topics, themes and theses we’ll be discussing and debating at BIA/Kelsey NOW are:

• THE IMPACT ON BRANDS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS. LODE promises lowered overhead costs creating favorable unit economics that are passed on to consumers – further fueling demand. Will this promise be fulfilled?


• USER INFLUENCE AND ADOPTION. LODE’s proposition is tailor made for a consumer base that’s conditioned to get everything immediately and on-demand. Mobile devices have become the ultimate remote controls of the physical world. How is this mindset, which created receptivity to the first LODE apps, now evolving?


• THE 1099 ECONOMY AND THE IMPACT ON THE LOCAL WORKFORCE. The rise of LODE could transform the traditional local service models we’ve known for centuries. It’s the new “1099 economy.” What are the pros and cons for the on-demand workforce?


• THE INVESTMENT CLIMATE. LODE was the largest area of VC funding this past year. According to CB Insights, LODE companies raised $2.6 billion in 2014. This happened at a rate of roughly 20 deals per quarter and a Series A average of $7.83 million. How long will this enthusiasm continue?

BIA/Kelsey NOW explores the opportunities in the logistical last-mile that will bring customers into contact with increasingly complex supply chains, making many more degrees of customization in experience inevitable to consumer market success.

We invite you to join us at BIA/Kelsey NOW, June 12, in San Francisco, as we examine LODE and its impact on the next phase of local commerce.

Mitch Ratcliffe

Michael Boland