A few years ago, “make money online” still felt a bit niche.
Now, it feels like almost everyone under 30 has some kind of side income. Whether it’s selling on Vinted, doing freelance work, earning cashback, completing surveys, monetising social media content, or using apps that reward users for playing games and completing tasks, extra income streams have quietly become part of everyday life for millions of people in the UK.
And the numbers back that up.
Research suggests nearly 40% of Gen Z now have a side hustle, while around one in five UK adults earns money outside their main job in some form. At the same time, economic growth in the UK has slowed to just 0.1%, rents continue to rise, and younger workers are facing a much tougher financial landscape than previous generations.
But for SMEs, the really interesting part is not necessarily the rise of side hustles themselves.
It’s why these platforms are proving so successful, and what that says about how younger consumers now expect businesses to engage with them.
Because apps in the side-hustle economy are not winning purely because people need extra money. They are winning because they understand modern behaviour incredibly well.
They are flexible. They are mobile-first. They reward users quickly. They make progress visible. And most importantly, they fit naturally into people’s lives.
That creates a surprisingly valuable lesson for SMEs.
The businesses winning attention are removing friction
One of the reasons side-hustle apps have grown so quickly is because they make earning money feel accessible.
There are no complicated onboarding processes. No interviews. No fixed schedules. No major commitment.
You can open an app while sitting on the train, spend twenty minutes completing tasks in the evening, or earn rewards while scrolling on your phone during downtime.
That convenience matters more than many businesses realise.
Consumers, especially younger ones, are increasingly drawn towards experiences that feel simple, flexible and immediate. The companies growing fastest right now are often the ones removing friction rather than adding to it.
That applies just as much to SMEs as it does to tech platforms.
If a customer has to jump through hoops to buy from you, contact you, book with you or understand your service, there is a good chance they simply will not bother.
The same applies internally too. Employees increasingly expect flexibility, autonomy and smoother digital experiences from employers.
The wider success of side-hustle apps is really part of a much bigger behavioural shift.
Why younger consumers respond to micro-rewards
Another thing these platforms understand extremely well is the psychology of rewards.
Many side-hustle apps are built around small but frequent wins:
- earning points
- unlocking bonuses
- hitting streaks
- receiving instant payouts
- tracking visible progress
It sounds simple, but it works.
Social media, gaming apps and fitness platforms have all conditioned people to respond positively to instant feedback and visible momentum. Side-hustle platforms have simply applied that same thinking to earning money.
For SMEs, there is something important in that.
A lot of businesses still think loyalty has to come from huge occasional rewards or long-term relationships. But increasingly, consumers engage more with businesses that make them feel rewarded consistently, even in relatively small ways.
That could mean:
- better referral incentives
- personalised offers
- visible loyalty progress
- milestone rewards
- gamified customer experiences
- employee recognition that happens regularly rather than once a year
People like feeling progress. They like feeling momentum. And businesses that understand that tend to build stronger engagement.
Younger workers are changing their relationship with work
There is also a wider workforce trend happening underneath all of this.
For many younger workers, the idea of relying on a single source of income feels increasingly outdated or risky.
Partly that is cultural, but a lot of it is economic too.
Housing costs remain high, wages have struggled to keep pace with inflation, and many younger workers have grown up during periods of financial uncertainty. As a result, there has been a noticeable rise in what some economists now describe as “portfolio earning”, where people combine multiple smaller income streams rather than relying entirely on one employer.
That might include:
- freelance work
- online selling
- creator income
- tutoring
- affiliate marketing
- cashback apps
- reward platforms
- digital side hustles
Platforms like Prograd have benefited from this shift. The UK startup, which allows users to earn money online through activities such as surveys, gaming rewards and app testing, recently announced its user base had grown from around 400,000 users to more than 1.1 million within a year.
A spokesperson at Prograd says that growth reflects changing attitudes towards income and flexibility.
“We’re seeing a generation that wants more control over how they earn money. Younger people are increasingly looking for flexible income streams that fit around their lives, whether that’s studying, working, freelancing or family commitments. I think businesses across the board are starting to realise that flexibility and convenience are no longer ‘nice to have’ features, they’re expectations.”
That expectation is something SMEs cannot really afford to ignore.
What SMEs should take from all this
The rise of side-hustle apps is ultimately about much more than earning extra cash.
It is about how consumer expectations are evolving.
People increasingly expect experiences that are:
- flexible
- fast
- mobile-friendly
- rewarding
- low-effort
- personalised
And that applies to almost every sector.
Whether you run an ecommerce business, a recruitment agency, a hospitality company or a professional services firm, the same core lesson keeps appearing: businesses that make life feel easier tend to win attention.
The companies struggling for engagement are often the ones still creating unnecessary friction, outdated processes or rigid customer experiences.
In many ways, side-hustle apps are simply reflecting where the wider economy is heading.
For SMEs paying attention, there is probably a lot more to learn from them than first meets the eye.
