How will collaborative consumption change
the world: Airbnb, Uber. Who’s next?
The
outcome of sharing economy is challenges traditional market faces with the
emergence of collaborative consumption. For example, Uber, a service that finds
you a driver, has alreay caused taxists' mass protests in New York, Chicago,
San Francisco and London. The idea beneath such services – to share what you
have with other people and get paid for it – alters our understanding of
contemporary economy.
The conception of owing things itself is not relevant anymore
Numerous research has demonstrated that the generation of so known “millenials”, people, who are around 30-35 now, rarely buys
houses, even more rarely – cars. As a matter of fact, they never buy something
expensive – except for Apple products, for sure.
These people are quite often called “the generation of renters”. The contemporary young have reconsidered the
concept of success. If before a successful person owned a private house and a
car, now success is more linked with the investments into experience and
impressions: travelling, extreme sports, startups.
Young people
intentionally abandon the idea of buying real propert and even furniture, they
would rather rent it. The idea is that people do not want wealth and stable
status anymore, but a flexible schedule and financial as well as geographical
independence instead.
By 2008-2009 crisis, we had a lot of stuff that had become dusty because it had been
kept in
our attics and garages for too long: bikes and household appliances, gadgets
and dresses, cars and houses – once we paid a fortune for these things and now
they are just kept for nothing.
And just after two years, in 2011, “Time” magazine included sharing
economy in the list of top ten ideas that will revolutionize the system of
consumption.
Economy
of trust
“The
allure of the collaborative consumption model is its financial stability based
on human relationships, generousity and trust”
– Jonathan Gillton, the co-founder and executive manager of Roost service,
believes. The Roost service enables people to share parking spaces and places
to keep their belongings.
Some spare square meters of the road by your house can be turned into a
source of income, if you offer it on Parking Panda. DogVacay gives you the
chance to make a penthouse appartment for a dog from the spare room where
nobody lives. Are you a passionate adventurer, but recently you had a baby? You
can rent your tent for $10 per
day using the Rentoid service. Is there an out-of-use drill in your garage? Get
10$ more on SnapGoods. With the Liquid service you will earn 20$ more, just
offer your old bike to the tourists who come to your country.
Let's meet… without the agent
During last four years at least
100 private companies, offering owners to make a profit of the property they
possess without the need of extra payment, have been set up. Yet Uber and Airbnb
have brought consumption to a brand new level. These innovative companies have
offered reasonably priced solutions for consumers who save as well as unique
sources of income for people who want to earn more or are looking for a
flexible work schedule. Their commission is: Uber – 20%, Airbnb – 6-12%,
depending on the cost of the order.
Until the very last moment private taxi companies had a monopoly in
transportation industry. Yet there are hundreds and hudnreds of ordinary
drivers, who go the same way as you do and who can pick you up and drive for a
lower price. Why not? Uber helped a lot of people transform their personal
vehicles from financial burden into a source of income.
Everyone who has a car can download Uber, get registered and collect . The
product is a high-quality drive, the passenger pays the driver directly. Since
the emerge of the application, taxi drivers have been leaving private firms and
have started to work on their own.
Why bother buying a house in a picturesque location if a place to spend
your vacation in can be easily found on Airbnb? There is no need for overpaying
for rent or buying an
estate overseas. The site offers a platform that helps establish a contact
between the host and the guest, so the guest pays the host directly.
Airbnb и
Uber provide
access to estates and cars. The fact that these companies faced with resistance
and pressure of those, who are used to making hay of licensing, does not
surprise at all. Municipalities have been hectically creating the laws limiting
short-term rentals from private traders. In some countries car
rentals that do not have a licence are brough to responsibility. Not to mention
potential problems concerning taxation.
Economists have not decided yet whether sharing economy is
beneficial or not.
They are to find the answer whether there is a surplus value, or
new services are taking the place of already existing businesses. Either is
correct. There is always a threat for economy, as the consumer does not buy a
new car. However, in a long-term perspective, everybody wins. Last year Airbnb
hired researchers to find out the influence of their services on San Francisco.
The result was astonishing: because Airbnb offers cheaper rentals than hotels
do, guests lived in a rented estate longer and, consequently, spent more money
in the city: on overage, $1100, while tourists, living in hotels, spent $840.
14% of respondents stated that they would have never come to San Fransisco but
for Airbnb.
The most valuable
thing we have… is not a thing
Airbnb and Uber's experience inspired to
expand the horizons of sharing economy. In 2014 the company APM Agentuur
entered the market. APM Agentuur has given value to something that was not
valued before – people's time and attention, and they pay people real money for
it. Advertising Pays me is APM Agentuur's slogan.
As a matter of fact, advertisers
pay now as well, but they pay not agents like search engines, website owners,
TV channels, radio stations, etc. Anywhere there is a crowd, there is
advertising. That is why it causes rejection and negative emotions, by all
manner of means people try to avoid advertising.
Still, it is nothing but “mission impossible”, and by the
age of 65 an average person has seen 2 million of commercicals only, not to
mention banners, posters and other forms of advertising.
APM Agentuur stands for
the idea that this would be over and advertising funds would be allocated
without agents, among people who see ads. Besides, it is a must that
advertising is targeted. That is why we have created a platform that is bound
to become a place where the advertiser and the consumer meet.
This is how APM Board looks like. Users get to their account 90% of the
cost which the advertisers pays for the display of their ads.
Any good or service needs advertising. We found about the things we
have now by virtue of advertising.
The passenger pays the
driver, the renter pays the owner, the advertiser pays the viewer – these are
examples of fair relationships that make our life easier.
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