The sharing economy has really taken off over the last few years but we’d be wrong to think the concept itself is something new. Far from it. Whether we’re talking about taking a lift in a colleague’s car, hitchhiking, borrowing a neighbour’s tools, or swapping books at a community library – these are all great examples of how society has embraced the sharing economy long before the buzz and excitement of Uber and Airbnb. By definition, a shared economy is simply a system by which individuals can borrow or rent underutilised assets belonging to others.
The rise of the sharing economy as a business model
But let’s not be a total party pooper here, because there’s a lot to celebrate: The rise of the sharing economy as a successful (and disruptive) business model. While the concept has been around forever, new digital technologies, fast internet connections and cheap data have enabled game-changing startups like Go People to bring potential parties to transactions together using sophisticated online platforms. Pioneers in the field – the likes of Uber and Airbnb did a great job of showing us just how well this business model can work.
It works because everyone wins!
It works because every person involved is a real winner. Casual service providers and renters can make extra cash, the consumer saves money compared to clunky traditional services and the platform gets to make a little something in return for all their ‘match-making’ efforts. Unlike borrowing tools from a neighbour, technology has given us access to more choice and an incredible volume of individuals which makes services cheap, and most importantly, on-demand.
Go People knows the courier industry is ripe for some ‘shared economy’ disruption. Too many retailers are failing to meet increasing consumer demand for fast, same-day deliveries and similarly, too many consumers are frustrated by slow, expensive delivery services with poor customer service.
Disrupting the courier industry
The ‘Uber style’ sharing economy model has enabled Go People to change all that. Through our website, customers can access our team of over 17,000 on-demand delivery runners for a complete point-to-point delivery service. That means, deliveries are picked up and taken direct to the recipient by the cheapest and closest available runner without any of the intervening depot processes employed by traditional services. Not only are deliveries guaranteed to arrive within the day but our streamlined, tech-driven processes enable us to pass on those cost-savings to customers in true sharing economy style.
So, now it’s here. The disruptive effects of the sharing economy business model are rippling throughout the courier industry thanks to a plethora of retailers and consumers hungry for something better. After all – with traditional couriers being like Sydney’s notoriously congested Parramatta Road compared to Go People’s slick and speedy Cross-City Tunnel experience – why would you go any other way!