Sharing economy – The last decade

What has happened in the past decade for the sharing economy?

The explosive growth of the sharing economy has astounded even optimistic market experts. On the one hand, there are now several thousand sharing economy platforms that operate in almost all industries and activities around the world. In 2009, there were only a handful: Zipcar, Blablacar and Couchsurfing. Airbnb launched Uber in the fall of 2008, Uber in the spring of 2009. The adage “premium access to property” is a change that has taken root, as digital and mobile technologies make access to goods and services ever easier and on-demand. The sharing economy is no longer a millennial preference, but part of modern society.

However, the sharing economy has lost some of its original charm. At first, it was rare to have a conversation about how the sharing economy could responsibly reduce hyper-consumption and really build community connections. These benefits have not gone away, but it is increasingly difficult to find sharing economy platforms that put these principles into practice. Emphasis was placed on convenience, price and transactional efficiency: “community” as a commodity. Regarding forecasts, according to Vital Stats, “business-to-business sales via marketplaces should reach $ 3.6 trillion by 2024”. On the internet, these sales will represent 30% of B2B sales worldwide. Currently, SMEs are the early adopters and are making the most of the next wave Large companies are lagging behind as it is more difficult for them to quickly change the way they do business.

In 2020, the sharing economy is increasingly seen as simply part of the “economy”. This may be the ultimate sign of the success of the sharing economy.