Sharing Economy: doing business with anti-trade
The ‘sharing economy’, the mutual exchange of goods and services will have an increasing impact on business. Sharing works primarily in products that often go unused, such as cars, rooms and pressure washers. But sharing is also based on knowledge, time and energy.
Sharing brings a new mindset with them: by sharing you buy less, but can still lead a richer life. You have more attention to the things one uses. You get better contact with the people you share and they will find you more amusing. And you still enjoy plenty of luxury thanks to the beautiful things you borrow from others.
Just to be clear, I’m talking about really share without payment. So couchsurfing and not Airbnb. And Peerby but not Marktplaats or Ebay.
According to our current commercial model every person buys everything he or she needs. All for their own use, and protected from others. But what do we want? Does it make sense that we have to buy everything ourselves? According to the Central Bureau of Statistics lives one in ten households in the Netherlands under the low-income. These people at the bottom of society feel that they are excluded. They are trying to explore alternative business models, such as different types of parts. There is a possibility that the rest of the population can learn from them.
The terrifying technology behind the share is the Internet, and increasingly the internet of things. The Internet makes it easier to find people who have a popular product and are willing to share it. If that product is connected to the internet, the use by multiple people can easily be managed. The internet offers many websites to encourage the sharing: places to sleep, trimmers, clothes, electricity, bicycles, cars, music, ideas, pets, and so on.
The sharing economy is connected to the “maker movement ‘: networks of innovative free spirits who have access to advanced production equipment such as 3D printers, which goes through FabLabs and other shared spaces. Striking in the maker movement is how strongly people here prefer share over trade.
A Dutchman who enjoys worldwide respect in the maker movement is Dave Hakkens. His best ideas and designs he shares are for free. Such as “precious plastics”, devices that make new products of stray plastic. And “phone blocks”, or modular and recyclable smartphones. He believes by sharing there is a greater chance that his ideas have an impact on the world. Dave earns by giving talks and advice and focus on the things what he really need. Furthermore, he also believes that the ultimate goal of government policy should be to increase the welfare of the population and therefore that the rise of the sharing economy, and not to stare blind to the GDP of a country.
The British New Economic Forum has gathered knowledge about the welfare of the population. Which describes the steps to more happiness. And indeed, “have more assets” is not among them. In the analysis of the NEF Dutch people do well relative to the German people, where it is more about social contacts and mindful living.
The “anti-trade” by sharing in his view very interesting new business opportunities. One condition is that companies also master the sharing mindset. For example by creating products that are easy to share. Or that can be purchased together. Or by inventing services – for example, on the Internet of Things – that help people share their belongings in a safe and fair manner.
This could all lead to more accurate demand for quality products that last. And that would be good news for the environmental objectives. Especially when the mainstream population always wants to share.
References
Langley, D, 2016. Sharing economy: zaken doen met anti-handel. Het Financieele Dagblad , 8 October 2016. 4.
The Economist . 2016. The rise of the sharing economy. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21573104-internet-everything-hire-rise-sharing-economy. [Accessed 10 October 2016].
