Business models in the collaborative economy: summary and suggestions

The economy has passed from a period of abundance, during which people had access to many goods and services to a situation where only through the act of “sharing” can they be enjoyed. This study sums up what this is and how the collaborative economy has evolved, promoting new lines of future research in a field that, as it is relatively new, still lacks consolidated scientific literature. To assess consumer perceptions, a quantitative population study was run on a sample of 370 consumers. The results obtained through a web questionnaire reveal generalised knowledge of what the collaborative economy is. However, they also reveal that although we consume collaboratively, in general, these same consumers are not promoters or “creators”, not embarking on collaborative initiatives. It was also found that traditional media are giving way to internet-based tools such as social networks, which are better adapted to the new collaborative business models.