As part of our #Outlook15 series, we asked heads of services marketplace companies – Timesaverz and Near.in about their focus areas for 2015, and the challenges that the mobile advertising ecosystem needs to address. Answers have been shortened for brevity. What were the top developments and roadblocks in the services marketplace segment in 2014? Why? Debadutta Upadhyaya, Timesaverz - Expanded bouquet of e-service categories ranging from home to health, grocery to beauty-care, multiple business-models. - Mobile technology being the focal point of any launch. - Adoption of anything beyond the regular cab-service still had challenges, and this roadblock can be attributed mainly to habit-changing efforts that other services mandated for. Sunil Goyal, Near.in - Emergence of Uber-like models for services businesses within home services (electricians, plumbers etc). - Quality and trust are paramount for services. With increased awareness and smartphone penetration, expectations have risen and the need for one-click access to a quality experience. What was something in the services marketplace segment in India that surprised you in 2014? Debadutta Upadhyaya, Timesaverz - Readiness for upfront payment vis-a-vis cash on delivery (COD) option provided the scope of service was unambiguously, well-defined. Sunil Goyal, Near.in - No real surprise, but we are still far behind the global ecosystem in having user focused companies in services space. - Still hard to find local trusted professionals - find a trusted phone repair shop guy, an awesome dentist, a great zumba class instructor, what is their pricing?, what is their trust? have any one my…
