If you need something, you buy it. Cars, houses, clothes, you name it. Everything you want or need can be found in real or online stores.
This way of thinking was characteristic of the 20th century, efficient manufacturing, logistics, improved transports made it possible to create a shoper's paradise. Ownership of things is a way of defining who you are. Consuming things is about being someone.
In the beginning of the 21st centruary this is still the case and buying and owning things is part of our lives. Yet, new innovative approaches is slowly changing our behaviours. Many of us have stopped buying CDs and DVDs. Instead we might buy the songs digitally on the iTunes and pay to watch films on Nexflix. Fewer copies of book are sold and some people share cars instead of buying a car.
Music, films, books, and cars are accessed rather than owned.
Overall, this is a positive trend because the resource on Earth are limited. In addition, it takes time to care for things that we own, and we also need space to store our things. We also get bored with things!
People and companies with innovative ideas can potentially reach millions of new customers.
What would it be like to have access to cars on demands. A taxi is not an ideal solution, we want the convience of a car without owning it.
Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is the Netflix for transport where you pay a monthly fee, type in on the app where you want to go and you get instant access to unlimited use of any public transport mode, including buses, trains, bicycles and a pre-set amount of taxi rides.
Finland have a solid track recod in telecommuncations innovations and high-teach startup. Now they are creating new solutions that can be used in cars. For example, Koru has developed a platform for user interface creation that enables a user to have a smartphone-like experience in-car.
An on-demand approach leads to more efficient use of our resources. More people might use the same car, bike or house.
A world where you do not need to buy a smartphone may sound like a mad idea. But maybe this idea is going to be the next big thing. And in the meantime it will be my answer when someone asks me why I do not have no smartphone. I am simply waiting for someone to make it available for me on demand.
What things do you want on demand? How can you transform this idea into a new business?
