Postmates will offer one-hour deliveries in London next year

Sometimes you're in a hurry and need a delivery fast. Not just that day, but within the next couple of hours. It might be an umbrella for when you leave work, a pair of trainers for an evening game of tennis, or a quick bite while you're powering through your lunch break. Postmates has offered one-hour deliveries in the US for some time now, but soon it'll be taking on the UK too. At the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in London, Postmates CEO Bastian Lehmann said the company's speedy services will be launching in London during the second quarter of 2016.

Using Postmates is pretty simple. You open the app and make an order by searching or browsing the stores in your city. Once you've paid and selected a delivery address, Postmates will handle the rest -- its couriers can make the drop-off using a bike, scooter, car or truck, depending on what's most efficient. Postmates charges a small delivery fee and a service fee (in the US, it's 9 percent of your items) for the privilege, but in return you should be getting one of the fastest deliveries around. It has partnerships with Apple and Starbucks too, meaning MacBooks and gingerbread lattes are never too far from your desk at work.

Same-day delivery isn't a new concept in the UK, however. Amazon's Prime Now service also touts one-hour drop-offs, and Deliveroo can speedily deliver food from nearby bars, cafes and restaurants. Postmates is a big name in the US though, and this latest expansion is guaranteed to keep some of its UK competitors on their toes.