The Sharing Economy - the Future of Commerce

Got a notion to fly a nice drone but don't want to drop eight grand? Just jump on your local sharing network and contact Bob, down the street...he'll hook you up with his FREEFLY Alta quadcopter for a few hours, essentially hassle free. Pay him just fifty bucks, sign a waiver, and try not to crash it. He assumes all the financial risk in purchasing the expensive toy, keeping it in top condition and storing it – which is far simpler and less expensive for those who 'have the itch' only a few times a year.

When it comes to surviving and thriving in the manufacturing industry these days, a company can no longer simply manufacture and sell an analog product and expect to connect with customers in the fashion they now demand. Customizable, programmable, IoT compatible...these are some of the new, operative terms that manufacturers must consider in the fundamental design of any new product. Failure to do so is to invite a progressively-dwindling customer base.

Look out Amazon! Look out Costco, Target and Walmart!...here comes Jet.com. Raising over $255 million even before its public launch, Silicon Valley's Jet.com is the latest in the online retail space and they seek to save you money. Indeed, that is their strategy, noting they ofer lower prices over Amazon and its kind for bulk goods, as well as additional discounts for other, consumer-opted behaviours. For example, choosing to buy two products from the same source vs. two diferent sources. Unique in its approach, Jet.com looks to shake things up in the consumer retail world.

The advent of 3D printing is all the rage these days. The drop in 3D printer prices, coupled with more powerful features, is driving this true and remarkable trend. The ability to design and/or print a seeming limitless variety of objects right in one's own garage is simply too alluring.

Presently, one can easily buy a 3D printer, download print ready fles of the web, buy necessary raw materials (for the printer itself) and viola!...a custom object. Yet it is the design of the fles themselves that is the one remaining bottleneck. Design, up to this point, has been a highly-technical task.

No question the ‘internet of things’ is exponentially affecting the way we work, the rate at which we produce and how we relate to others (including ourselves). The underlying effect is permeating; namely the cultural deconstruction of our structures and boundaries– as much more is taking place outside our physical buildings, businesses, learning institutions and infrastructure. Additionally, our families, neighborhoods and villages are no longer restricted by geography – which means our social and emotional ‘tribes’, along with our personal circles of influence, has the potential for much wider expansion and reach.