The phenomenon of collaborative consumption was recognized by TIME magazine as one of the ten ideas that will change the world (Time, 2011). While at the bc data thailand time this seemed to be a futuristic prophecy, today it is more of a rapidly growing reality than a long-term promise.
The sharing economy is often incorrectly used for successful cases such as Uber, which manages to coordinate supply and demand efficiently through the use of geolocation and electronic means of payment, but without reaching the true concept of collaboration or sharing. The same happens indiscriminately with Airbnb, Spotify or Alibaba. Indeed, each of them represents a disruptive innovation in their industry, which facilitates the exchange of products and services through digital platforms, and which, in addition to putting sellers and buyers in direct contact, have managed to democratize the market.
It is well known that Uber's global growth has been dizzying: In December 2015, it reached one billion services, which took five years, and in just six months it reached the goal of the second billion (Fortune, 2016). However, the "uberization" of businesses does not always comply with the principles of the shared economy when in reality there is still much potential in that regard.
The concept of collaborative consumption is popularized by Rachel Botsman, author of the book, “ What's Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption ” (Bostman, 2010). Many terms are used to describe different models that use digital technology to facilitate direct encounters between suppliers and customers, or owners and users, without the need for intermediaries. Terms such as “collaborative consumption” or “sharing economy” are used interchangeably, but often have little in common. For Botsman, collaborative businesses, based on the concept of sharing, should involve giving value to unused or underutilized goods that represent available idle capacity, whether or not in exchange for some monetary reward.
Cases like Uber are better defined as on- demand services, as they are platforms that facilitate direct interaction between customers with specific needs and suppliers willing to sell products or services immediately. Examples of the same type of business model include Washio, which offers laundry services delivered to your home in just a few hours at very affordable prices, or Instacart, which offers grocery delivery from supermarkets and local stores in just two hours.
On the other hand, the concept of collaborative economy implies an economic system of networks and decentralized markets that gives value to underutilized assets, without the need for traditional intermediaries. A good example is Etsy, which allows you to buy clothes, accessories, tools and other unused items, or Lending Club, which facilitates access to financial capital by putting investors and lenders in contact. Also noteworthy is Transferwise, which avoids incurring costs when it comes to sending money to any bank account abroad.
The sharing economy, on the other hand, is based on temporarily sharing or lending assets or services directly between individuals. The clearest and most popular example is Airbnb, which makes houses and apartments available to travelers for short periods of time, at prices much more affordable than those of a hotel. Or BlaBlaCar, which connects drivers with available space in their cars with passengers traveling the same route. Similarly, Landshare connects those who have available land with those who want to farm it, and initiatives such as Kickstarting provide funding for entrepreneurship through crowdsourcing . Even more interesting and original is the offer from Skillshare, which allows experts in different subjects to share their knowledge through personalized classes, with more than 16,000 options available.
Finally, the concept of collaborative consumption involves reinventing traditional market behaviors through technology, with modalities and volumes never before possible. An example is Zipcar, which provides access to the use of cars by the hour or day, or Yerdle, which allows people to sell used items in exchange for points to obtain other second-hand items.
A more interesting case, with a conservationist purpose, is The Freecycle Network, a non-profit organization with more than five thousand groups and nine million members who donate and obtain items free of charge for their communities, with the goal of recycling and avoiding the accumulation of waste.
In all cases, sharing information is key to the collaborative consumption model and is what underpins the principles of crowdsourcing , which is used very effectively in traffic applications such as Waze to pool information obtained from drivers while they drive.
Beyond the use of digital media, which seems to make the difference in all these models, the need to share is a trend that has been accentuated with the generational change (Euromonitor 2015). The individualistic culture, which prioritized the accumulation of goods as a sign of success and encouraged the construction of walls and closed communities, is giving way to a generation that values experiences over material goods, which seeks to avoid waste and achieve efficiency. More and more people around the world are getting rid of what they consider unnecessary and living their lives paying only for what they consume or use, rather than acquiring goods in the long term. These consumers already access documents, books, music and films through digital means, so they quickly and naturally adopt the collaborative consumption model.
