# Outsource Obsession Consumers flock to services that outsource even rudimentary tasks. By [Michael Hemsworth](https://www.trendhunter.com/Michael.Hemsworth), Contributing Researcher | Published Oct 30, 2014 | Category: [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/pro/category/lifestyle-trends) Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/outsource-obsession ## Key Figures - Trend score: 4.6/10 - Evidence articles: 8 ## What is the Outsource Obsession trend? **Outsource Obsession:** Anything consumers can do to automate an aspect of daily life is being coveted, which is supported by the rise of outsource services for everything from laundry to texting. As work schedules continue to become more hectic, consumers will likely opt for convenience, even at a price, in everyday life. ## At a Glance - Evidence: 8 featured examples - Articles from: Feb 27 to Oct 30, 2014 - Published: Oct 30, 2014 - Patterns: [Reduction](https://www.trendhunter.com/pattern/reduction), [Acceleration](https://www.trendhunter.com/pattern/acceleration) - Megatrends: [Simplicity](https://www.trendhunter.com/megatrend/simplicity), [Many to Many](https://www.trendhunter.com/megatrend/many-to-many) ## Audience - Gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Themes within the Outsource Obsession trend ### Task Outsourcing Consumers are opting for convenience by outsourcing everyday tasks. ### On-Demand Services Services are being offered on-demand such as personal assistants, design services, and crafting needs. ### Crowdsourcing Jobs Jobs are being completed by crowdsourcing tasks to a community of freelance workers. ## What the Outsource Obsession trend means for industry ### For Gig Economy The gig economy is expanding as crowdsourcing and on-demand services become more popular. ### For Personal Assistant Services Business professionals can take advantage of personal assistant services that handle small design tasks and chore completion, freeing up more time for work. ### For Crafting Industry The crafting industry is expanding as consumers opt for handmade goods and personalized products. ## Trend signals for Outsource Obsession Trend score 4.6 out of 10, from popularity 77%, activity 52%, freshness 8%. - Popularity: 77% - Activity: 52% - Freshness: 8% ## Examples of the Outsource Obsession trend 8 featured examples from Feb 27 to Oct 30, 2014. - [Outsourced Handcrafted Products](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/handmade-goods): Made By Gurus Lets You Pick Someone to Make Your Handmade Goods (Category: Art & Design) Implication: The handmade goods industry has an opportunity to embrace outsourcing and personalized offerings to cater to the evolving consumer preferences. - [Outsourced Apology Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tell-someone-youre-sorry): Japan's Apology Agencies Help You Tell Someone You're Sorry (Category: World) Implication: Innovative business model of specialized apology agencies offering professional apology services through various modes of communication. - [Crowdsourced Chore Completers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/butler-service): This Butler Service Calls Other Helpers to Take Care of Your Tasks (Category: Lifestyle) Implication: Alfred's success shows promise for on-demand aggregators of individual services to expand into a holistic solution. - [Design Tweaks Outsourcing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/small-design-jobs): Swiftly Will Take on Your Company's Small Design Jobs in Under an Hour (Category: Art & Design) Implication: Swiftly's platform disrupts the conventional graphic design industry by offering quick and affordable design tweaks, providing new opportunities for businesses to streamline their… - [Automatic Girlfriend-Texting Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/text-your-girlfriend): The BroApp Will Text Your Girlfriend For You (Category: Tech) Implication: The development and improvement of mobile apps catered towards automating personal relationships, such as BroApp, can be an area of disruptive innovation for the mobile app develo… - [Outsourced Messaging Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/deliver-bad-news): Miranda July's Somebody App Lets a Stranger Deliver Bad News for You (Category: Tech) Implication: The rise of outsourced messaging apps presents disruptive innovation opportunities for communication service providers to offer additional value-added services by integrating stan… - [Outsourced To-Do List Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/to-do-app): The AskForTask To-Do App Gets Someone Else to Do the Dirty Work (Category: Tech) Implication: The gig economy industry is ripe for disruption as outsourcing personal to-do lists through apps provides users with quick and efficient solutions for small, time-consuming tasks. - [Texting Casanova Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/textjake): TextJake Allows a Dude Named Jake to Draft Your Important Messages (Category: Tech) Implication: The texting industry could become more diverse by providing an array of innovative services, which include celebrity and expert services for writing personalized messages, and edu… ## Recent trend clusters - [Assisted Choices](https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/weight-loss-medication-support) (Lifestyle) - [Storyline Sips](https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/themed-drink-menus) (Lifestyle) - [Bedtime Cocoon](https://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/sleep-sensory-blocking) (Lifestyle) - 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