New Sharing Economy report: 86% of users enjoy money saving potential

Global professional services firm PriceWaterhouseCooper has published the results of their most recent survey and report into the sharing economy. It makes for a very interesting read!

So, first off, exactly what is the sharing economy?

Well, it’s a booming worldwide sector that includes companies like Liftshare, which facilitate peer-to-peer sharing – whether it enables people to carshare, houseshare (think Airbnb), lend out goods and skills (Streetbank), rent clothes (Rentez Vous), walk dogs (BorrowMyDoggy) or help out with deliveries (Nimber).

It’s a booming business sector that sees fresh ideas and innovative companies launch all the time, and we’re delighted to be a part of the current sea change, which is encouraging more and more people to share, save money and make the world a better place every day.

PWC’s report primarily focussed on the US, but still makes for a good read. It shows that:

• 86% of those surveyed said that sharing economy companies offered better affordability than regular transactions…
• …and 83% said they offered greater convenience!
• 43% of consumers said they felt ownership of big items felt like a burden to them
• 72% that weren’t already sharing economy consumers said they could definitely see themselves getting involved in the future.

However, it wasn’t all positive.

• 73% worry that the quality of sharing economy experiences will be inconsistent
• 68% are concerned about putting their full trust in sharing economy services

The question is of course, how, as a sharing economy company ourselves, can we help combat people’s fears when using Liftshare?

All of our users have profiles and are rated by others they’ve shared with, so you can see true reviews and ratings of people who have carshared with them before.

For example, you can see that I gave Jono a five star rating after I grabbed a lift with him down to London. Everyone has to start somewhere, but if you can travel with a previously rated member, you have the best possible chance of a consistent, dependable service.

On trust, of course we realise that you’re putting your faith in another person, and normally not one you’ve met before. But combined with the ratings mentioned above, along with us verifying mobile numbers, bank details and social media accounts, you’re in the best position to share with someone reliable.

We encourage all members to make contact and chat to get to know each other a little before their trip, as well as promoting some basic tips from a personal safety charity to make sure you’re confident in your sharer.

You can watch a brief overview of the report in the video below

Do you have faith in sharing economy companies, and other users of them? Let us know at @Liftshare on Twitter or by commenting below!

Full PWC report: http://www.pwc.com/us/en/industry/entertainment-media/publications/consumer-intelligence-series/assets/pwc-cis-sharing-economy.pdf