Games and social media apps may currently be generating the most downloads and revenue, but the real innovation in the online economy comes from the “Three Pillars”: Health, Finance and Education.

What these pillars have in common are:

• clearly defined market verticals
• well-established business models
• life-long customer engagement
• highly regulated operating environments

They are also industries that are continuously innovating, which makes them interesting bellwethers for what might emerge in other sectors of the economy.

However, they do not display closely integrated vertical markets, and despite the regulatory barriers to entry they are vulnerable to disruptive technologies and new business models.

I’m reminded of the proverb “early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – such that we cannot afford to ignore what is going on in these industries, and nor can we fail to understand the implications for each of them based on what is going on elsewhere.

From mobile payment systems to wearable fitness devices, from Apple’s new “Health” app to mass open online courses, from peer-to-peer lending to shared health alerts, these sectors are responsible for (and responding to) significant changes in the online economy, and over the next few weeks I’ll be offering some personal observations on the trends, threats, lessons and observations for each of the three pillars.

I encourage readers to contribute to the debate via this blog….

Next week: Online Pillar 1: #Health