Why Collaborative Consumption Services?
At LetsPool! we’re strong believers in the sharing economy. Collaborative consumption kills two birds with one stone. It efficiently manages resources and it saves money.
As an element of the sharing economy, collaborative consumption gives you access to the commodities, experiences, and skills you want without the burden of ownership. Through collaborative consumption services, we can access the the lifestyle we want without waste.
With peer-to-peer sharing, we can restore a sense of community while making the most of our assets. This year, we’re encouraging you to dive into the sharing economy. Here are 5 collaborative consumption services that you should try the next chance you get.
(1) Couch Surfing
The term “couch surfing” actually pre-existed the popular Couchsurfing website. It refers to moving from one friend’s house to another, sleeping in whatever space is available for a few days before moving on.
Your parents or grandparents can probably tell you that in their days it was not uncommon to have a complete stranger ask for lodging during a road trip. Technology makes couch surfing easier and safer to handle. Next time you’re traveling, consider playing the role of the weary traveler. Couch surfing is one of the collaborative consumption services we can all give a try.
(2) Coworking
Studies anticipate that within the next few decades, location-independent professionals will comprise around 40% of the global workforce. Unleashed from their cubicles, these savvy self-starters crave collaboration, creativity, and most of all, community. They also happen to be big fans of collaborative consumption services.
Coworking focuses on shared workspaces available at the fraction of a solo office price. Each space has a different personality, and acts as a supportive community for motivated independents passionate about achieving success. You can join the global movement at Coworking.com.
(3) Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing
Luckily, today there’s no shortage of services that make it easy (and legal) to rent your own vehicle to neighbors as well as strangers. Studies have shown that car sharing schemes actually remove cars from the road, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and in some cases, make the car owners a significant amount of extra income. Check out TechRepublic’s article on carsharing companies and learn more at The Carsharing Association.
(4) Out-tasking / Outsourcing
Apparently (slightly tongue-in-cheek), the world is becoming a busier place. This weighs heavily on the modern professional, nurturing house-spouse, and blah — everybody in general. While we’re waiting for really smart robots and/or octopus arms implants — one of the collaborative consumption services has to have a solution.
Yep. There is the growing concept of out-tasking. Websites like TaskRabbit, FancyHands, DoMyStuff and AgentAnything allow you to post an errand and get assistance to run it.
(5) Group Buying
The proposition here is very simple. If you want an item, and a vendor is willing to offer a discount for a certain number of units, why not buy it in a group? Groupon and LivingSocial popularized the group buying concept. But other startups are reworking the group buying concept to fit specific niches.
At LetsPool! we advocate creating buying groups so you’re always ready for a group deal opportunity. If you want to learn more about white label group buying you should download our free Group Buying Guide.
Through collaborative consumption services, you get to contribute towards keeping the planet healthy while saving money. To learn more about the benefits of collaborative consumption and especially group buying, we’ve put together an eBook in collaboration with Kadonation.
