No need to bother buying a new outfit for a night out, now you can just borrow one online. Photo / Getty Images
No need to bother buying a new outfit for a night out, now you can just borrow one online. Photo / Getty Images
In 2030, if we need a ball gown, a grandparent to babysit our kids or a screwdriver to repair damage at home, we'll simply go online, pay a small fee and borrow one.
Most of us won't own cars, holiday homes or work at the same office everyday. Our houseswon't be filled with stuff we rarely use.
Many of our daily functions will be outsourced for a small fee, with all these interactions controlled through our smartphones.
These are the predictions of business futurist Morris Miselowski, who argues the sharing economy will soon facilitate most of our daily interactions.
"We used to amass things just in case, but we don't have to anymore, because we can find the things we need when we need them quite easily and comfortably, through the sharing economy," Mr Miselowski told news.com.au.
"It's become difficult for many people to own an asset or aspire to own an asset. They just can't afford it," Mr Miselowski said.
"A lawnmower, the holiday home, the car ... we won't have to buy these things. We'll just rent them and then we can still have the experience."
It doesn't make financial sense to own a bunch of things that you rarely used, says Steve Orenstein, CEO of Share Hub, a start-up accelerator for Australian sharing economy businesses. Some of its members include Airtasker, storage marketplace Spacer, car sharing service Car Next Door, pet-sitting service Mad Paws and Camplify, a caravan-sharing community.
"It doesn't make sense to own these really large assets anymore and our platforms are making these really accessible to Australian consumers," Mr Orenstein told news.com.au.
"From a cost effective point of view and a flexibility point of view, you're helping people make smart use of their money and using things only when you actually need them," Mr Orenstein said.
Here's a list of some the ways the sharing economy will soon be involved in our lives.
DELIVERY:
With the rise of UberEats and online supermarket shopping we will see more and more retailers delivering goods straight to our doors. Photo / Getty Images
"The supermarkets and the arrival of Amazon will bring mass delivery everywhere. But people will also be looking for short term, swift deliveries," Mr Miselowski said.
"People who have a spare back seat or boot will pick up goods and services for people and deliver them. It could be groceries, it could be anything."
STORAGE:
"Services like Spacer let people who have a garage, or an extra car spot, or even a cupboard, rent it out," Mr Miselowski said.
"The biggest storage company in 10 years time won't be the traditional storage company. They're too far away for most people. Imagine being able to store your stuff at your neighbour's place?"
ADVERTISING:
"People are willing to have their car wrapped with advertising for a fee. That will soon become the norm," he said.
MONEY:
"People are doing away with the usual money players like the banks, and lending money peer-to-peer will soon become the norm," he said.
COOKING:
In the future we will have people come cook for us more regularly. Photo / Getty Images
"There are lots of people who will come and cook for you at their home or yours," Mr Miselowski said.
"Food delivery services are skyrocketing and there is already an app for people to connect with home cooks in their neighbourhood."
CLOTHES:
"There are already lots of sites where you can hire special occasion wear, and this will soon expand to other parts of the wardrobe," he said.
WORKING:
"Full time work will turn into task-based work. We are seeing a fundamental shift in business. Part time work was always seen as a negative thing, because it was what you did when you couldn't get full time work. But now many people make a living out of it," Mr Miselowski said.
"So when those people are doing these tasks, someone will say 'I have an office with an extra desk available' and they'll rent out that desk, not dissimilar to how hairdressers rent out any extra chairs they have."
TOOLS:
"When you need a hammer or a screwdriver, you can just find a neighbour that you can rent one from, instead of keeping an entire full toolkit in your garage, that only gets used a few times a year," Mr Miselowski said.
GRANDPARENTS:
"This is a quirky one, but families who don't have that extra support or a grandparent, can hire one. It fosters social connectedness and provides that much needed support for families," Mr Miselowski said.
