New UK App Aims to Overhaul £58B Services Market with Instant Vetting

GILLINGHAM, ENGLAND – February 26, 2026 – A new digital marketplace, ExperTrait, has launched across the UK, promising to eliminate quote delays and solve the "trust deficit" in the nation's vast £58 billion professional services industry. With a mobile app now live on iOS and Android, the platform is taking direct aim at the long-standing frustrations of both consumers and tradespeople by introducing rapid, high-tech verification and fixed, upfront pricing.

The launch addresses a market rife with challenges. For consumers, the fear of hiring unvetted strangers remains a significant barrier, with a recent survey indicating 67% of UK residents harbour such anxieties. For professionals, lengthy background checks can mean weeks of lost income. Meanwhile, existing platforms often rely on a slow, quote-based system, leaving customers waiting days for a price—a model that fails completely in an emergency.

A High-Tech Answer to the Trust Question

At the heart of ExperTrait's ambitious plan is a comprehensive, multi-layered verification system designed to build confidence and deliver security in hours, not weeks. The company claims this process allows for 70-80% of professionals to be approved almost instantly, a stark contrast to traditional methods.

"We're solving three problems at once: trust, speed, and transparency," stated Michael Adekoya, Founder and CEO of ExperTrait, in the company's launch announcement.

The platform's verification protocol combines several modern security measures. It starts with automated Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and Right to Work verifications, which are standard but often slow. ExperTrait accelerates this by integrating biometric face matching and ID document validation. The most innovative element, however, is its use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to read the chip inside modern biometric passports. This patent-pending process validates identity against the ICAO 9303 international standard for machine-readable travel documents, a highly secure method used globally for border control.

This technological approach is particularly timely. The UK government itself is pushing for stronger digital identity standards, with plans to make Identity Verification Technology (IDVT) a mandatory part of the DBS process by late 2025. By building its platform around this high-security framework from the outset, ExperTrait appears to be positioning itself ahead of the regulatory curve, offering a level of assurance that goes beyond simple customer reviews.

Challenging the Gig Economy's Playbook

Beyond security, ExperTrait is making a bold play to disrupt the established business models of the gig economy. The platform has abandoned the conventional quote-based system used by many competitors, where tradespeople bid on jobs and customers must sift through varying offers. Instead, it displays fixed, transparent prices for over 150 service categories, allowing for immediate booking.

This model is paired with a 15% commission fee taken from the service provider's earnings. The company presents this as a "fair commission" structure, directly challenging the rates of major industry players. In the ride-hailing sector, for instance, dominant platforms like Uber have been known to take commissions of 25% or higher, sometimes approaching 50% of a fare. Competitor Bolt typically operates in the 15-25% range.

In the home services space, a direct commission comparison is more complex, but the contrast in models is just as sharp. Platforms like Checkatrade primarily operate on a subscription basis, where tradespeople pay significant annual fees for a listing, while Rated People uses a lead-generation model where professionals pay for the chance to quote on a job, with no guarantee of winning the work. ExperTrait’s model of only paying a commission on completed jobs offers a different value proposition: professionals are not paying for leads or listings, but for confirmed, priced work. This could prove highly attractive to independent professionals and small businesses looking for more predictable income streams without upfront costs.

Making Emergency Services a Reality

The combination of instant verification and fixed-price instant booking is where the platform's potential becomes most clear, particularly for urgent needs. When a pipe bursts at midnight or a fuse box fails on a weekend, the traditional process of posting a job and waiting for multiple quotes is not just inconvenient—it's unworkable.

ExperTrait claims its model makes genuine emergency services possible through a digital marketplace for the first time. A customer can open the app, see a list of vetted, available electricians or plumbers, view the fixed price for the call-out, and book the service instantly. This extends across all three of its launch verticals: home services, wellness services (such as therapeutic and sports massage), and premium chauffeur and ride-hailing services.

As a newcomer in a crowded field, the road ahead for ExperTrait will involve rapidly scaling both its user base and its roster of verified professionals. Early app store ratings are positive but sparse, reflecting the platform's nascent stage. However, with patent-pending technology, a clear strategy to tackle well-known industry pain points, and a business model that challenges market norms, the company is making a compelling case for a new standard in professional services. Its success will ultimately depend on whether it can deliver on its ambitious promise to bring trust, speed, and fairness to a market that has long been in need of all three.