We hear more and more about the sharing economy as the economy of the future that will revolutionize the market. But what is it all about?
What is the sharing economy?
Thesharing economy is thesharing economy. A constantly evolving economic model that has rethought the exchange of goods and services between people by redesigning social and consumption coordinates.
The benefits of this innovative model are economic in nature but not only. Very often by taking advantage of and adhering to sharing economy services one is able to have economic return by counteracting the waste of resources and promoting respect for the environment. Concrete advantages not only for the individual but also for the entire community.
But how is the sharing economy realized?
The sharing economy is made possible by technological advances that enable easy and effective enjoyment of digitally shared goods and services. The digital revolution has enabled an increasing spread of the Internet, technology, online communities, and new technology platforms such as Apps.
In this scenario, many startups and entrepreneurs have sensed the opportunity. This is precisely why the sharing economy is said to be inseparable from technology. The sharing of products, ideas, goods and services "lives on" thanks to technology that connects people and makes possible the development of apps and digital platforms. This is why it is said that the sharing economy cannot be separated from technology, or rather ... from the smartphone!
Technology has the power to be disruptive: it can radically change the traditional way of doing business but also change social coordinates.
To date, we have numerous examples and success stories of startups that have become great by responding to people's needs and thus starting the phenomenon of the sharing economy.
Some examples
Uber
In the area of smart mobility Uber is the most prominent success case. Through its website or state-of-the-art mobile App, people can give rides in their cars to other citizens who can track the location of the booked car in real time while being able to take advantage of it at a competitive price.
Created to optimize mobility and empower people to share their cars, UBER creates numerous jobs, operates in 77 countries and more than 616 cities worldwide.
Airbnb
The emblem of sharing economy in the tourism industry is Airbnb. It is an online portal and mobile App that connects people looking for accommodation with people who have extra space to rent.
The idea came about because the current CEOs, prior to creating the first Airbnb digital platform, were unable to pay rent and were giving travelers (who could not find vacant hotel rooms) part of their lodging for rent. This was the basis for the first Airbnb platform, which also aimed to promote trust between people.
Deliveroo
In the area of Delivery we mention Deliveroo among the global biggies of the sharing economy. It is an online portal and App that delivers food to homes from both fast food and gourmet restaurants through deliverymen equipped with bicycles.
The ideato create Deliveroo came from an idea of a Chinese economic analyst who seeing that home deliveries were only of low quality thought that people might need high-quality food delivered directly to the doors of their homes and offices.
Mobike
Mobike recently arrived in Italy and is the world's most popular bike-sharing venture. Through an APP on smartphones, one can access the use of hundreds of shared bicycles. Through the APP, one can see on a map of the city the available bicycles and once one reaches the nearest one, one can "unlock" it by reading a QR code placed on the bike.
Theidea of Mobike came from the need of people living in big cities to make short trips in less time.
These companies started out as a small entity, as startups with ambitious goals, then through winning business strategies and the choice of the right, well-designed technologies they found fulfillment.
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