Altruistic & App-Assisted in NYC

New York City's hectic pace creates a demand for hyper-efficient tech assistance in significant lifestyle areas. The trend has increased at a breakneck pace in the past three years. Consumers won't search on a company's website to hunt for information or a desired transaction, they expect seamless, intuitive integration within a few clicks of a mobile app. Brands have stepped up to the challenge, providing quick and easy ways to do what you need to do--in some pretty significant ways--and get on with your life while also being socially responsible.

New Yorkers can "Share food. Literally," through the Feedie app, where a meal is donated for every food photo snapped and shared through the app's social network. Top restaurateurs from New York's most sought-after eateries, like The Breslin, Rosemary's and Del Posto and more, have signed on to donate to The Lunchbox Fund charity based on photos snapped table side.  From our personal Facebook and Instagram feeds, we know that just about everyone fancies themselves a food photog and this app capitalizes charitably on that user behavior.

While cash feels like a quaint method of payment in comparison to the prevalence of credit and debit card transactions, those bank-tethered payment structures are themselves giving way to a whole new world of money exchange. And while PayPal once served consumers' demand for seamless digital money exchange, it still called on banks to connect and transfer funds. Consumer values are shifting toward more direct transactions, bypassing banks and banking fees wherever possible. BitCoin’s open-source software allows for a digital, peer-to-peer money exchange that puts power in the hands of consumers. 

While the how-to around bitcoins and digital wallets may confuse some consumers, early, tech-savvy adopters are leading the way, spreading excitement and opening up the New York City marketplace. While this direct money exchange is open to consumers everywhere BitCoin's only brick-and-mortar BitCoin Center is just down the street from the NYSE in Downtown Manhattan.

The growing conversation and commercialization around specific dietary needs, allergies and restrictions has created more than a cottage industry in NYC. Beyond a consumer need for sorting through restaurants that cater to specific needs--vegetarian, vegan, Kosher, gluten-free and the like--consumers want to be connected and supported. Harnessing GPS-enabled mobile software, the Nommunity app goes beyond identifying local restaurants which cater to specific dietary needs to providing resources--information, recipes, product reviews and deals--that facilitate community-building and making dietary restrictions feeling less restrictive. 

The stereotypically fast-paced New York lifestyle is still very much rooted in getting what we as individuals want, exactly when we want it. But, as consumers, our wants are shifting toward the consumption of that which also serves the whole.