The rapid rise of P2P services such as Airbnb and Uber is shaking up existing markets. However, this new development does not have to be a threat to existing players. The collaborative economy offers opportunities for them too.
The first large corporates are preparing for the revolution that is currently taking place in the collaborative economy (also called sharing economy ) where consumers buy goods and services from each other and not from companies. They know how to cleverly use the P2P trend in their existing business operations and experiment with hybrid models. This article provides an overview of the most important opportunities and reasons to participate.
P2P services have also caused a major shift in the way we think about owning products. Having access to products and services instead of owning them is becoming increasingly important. Following the example of the music industry ( Spotify ) and the TV and film industry ( Netflix ), it now seems that the time has come for books to be distributed in a similar way.
Dutch and Flemish publishers, including publishers WPG and LannooMeulenhoff, belgium mobile phone number list are working on a subscription service where readers can read unlimited e-books for a monthly fee. The publishers hope to combat (p2p) piracy of e-books with the service and to protect their own market from decline.
Car sharing
A sector in which this is also clearly manifesting itself is the automotive industry. Research shows that millennials have less and less need to own a car. Being able to use a car occasionally is of course still desirable. Car manufacturers are now considering ways in which they can respond to this new development and are busy preparing for it. For example, car giant GM made its first step into car sharing by partnering with P2P car sharing startup RelayRides . And Avis acquired Zipcar in 2013 for almost $500 million.
relay rides
2. Tapping into new target groups
Tapping into new target groups is a second important reason that is closely related to this. BMW hopes to expand its customer base with younger customers by rolling out the car sharing service DriveNow, which is both affordable and environmentally friendly. Also an ideal way to gain experience in this new P2P economy.
Ultimately, initiatives like DriveNow are expected to benefit the entire BMW Group, as all business units gain access to the new customers, enabling cross-selling.