I just read a post by Tech.co writer John Debby about the benefits of the #sharingeconomy. What is that, you ask? Well, acceding to John,
The sharing economy is when one person provides something they own to someone in need. This is typically done on a per use basis for a fee. And if you haven’t heard of it by now, where have you been?
Airbnb just hit a $30 billion valuation, so they’ll make a great example: Airbnb works with homeowners who have free space to rent and matches them up with people who are travelling and need a place to stay. The tenant pays the owner and Airbnb gets a percentage for arranging the deal. Uber works much the same way. Someone who needs a driver can match up with someone who owns a car and has some free time.
Does that paint a clearer picture?
Then I clicked over to Udemy, an online learning marketplace that lets you take courses via the Web in all things cooking, languages, even public speaking. (It’s pretty cool. Check it out.) They created an infographic on the evolution of the sharing economy that we appended with a ShearShare blurb. 😉 Take a look:
So Who Benefits From the Sharing Economy?
The whole point of sharing economy is that it’s supposed to help everyone. It helps people with an asset (car, room) that’s not being used to make some money off of it. It helps the person in need by providing a good or service at a competitive rate for only as long as they need it, as soon as they need it. It helps the companies in the middle by receiving a cut for providing a medium for buyers and sellers to connect. It can even potentially benefit the planet by reducing the amount of goods consumed if much of it is being shared.
There is also a large social benefit to go along with it: Getting to meet new people and share things with them is a huge part of the appeal to many people. After all, who doesn’t love making new friends?
We agree! Our industry–the beauty industry–is one of the few marketplaces that literally touches everyone. And at ShearShare, our core values are based in #AccessOverOwnership and community over competition. As people around the globe start to embrace the idea behind a true sharing economy, we want to introduce the shearing economy to that movement. 😉
To read the rest of the Tech.co post, click here.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree that the sharing economy is here to stay? Leave us your comment below!
