There are many concerns with the sharing economy, or what we'll call the collaborative economy, despite its popularity. Many would be concerned about safety, privacy, quality of the product or service, to name a few. So why have 40% of people in the US and Canada (a total 90 million sharers in both countries), joined the collaborative economy? (1) And better yet, do you realize you may already be part of the 90 million?
If you’ve used eBay recently, you are a participant in the collaborative economy. If you’ve hopped in a car with a pretty pink mustache to get a ride home, then you are a collaborative economy supporter. And, if you have donated to your nephew’s birthday wish to give money to an organization instead of getting gifts through Kickstarter, then you are an ambassador for the collaborative economy.
We (you) are leaving the commercial business market for the collaborative economy at an ever-increasing rate. Still wondering why? The answer is: obstacles. We all know and dislike obstacles equally.
Think to one of your worst customer service experiences. It probably involved a lot of hoops, music loops while on hold and made you wonder if you should throw your phone against the wall or just go take a bath. Before, there was no other option. All you wanted was a real person to talk to or someone who was going to work a little extra to meet that request. Now, there are options and those options put you face to face with a real, live human being.
In addition to removing some of the most dreaded obstacles in the customer experience, the collaborative economy is achieving another goal. Using the digital frontier the way it was intended. As mentioned in our article, “The ‘Peer-to-Peer’ what?!”, the Internet began with the intention that users would curate and share content with others through the World Wide Web. The collaborative economy is reaching users where they are, on their computers, and providing them with what they need with little to no obstacles. And that is why the collaborative economy is not only gaining participants but it's gaining market share.
Who said you couldn’t have your cake and eat it, too?
Works Cited:
(1) http://www.visioncritical.com/blog/collaborative-economy-participation
Works Referenced:
(A) http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21601257-too-many-obstacles-are-being-placed-path-people-renting-things-each-other-remove
