Indeed, the question is how many markets can be affected by such models.

Lexie Kier makes some good points about the designer purses that Bag Borrow or Steal offers consumers for renting. I don’t feel that the distinction will be there for higher-end goods or services in several years as it would make much more sense to have them on a subscription-based service like a lease.

For this, I mean for instance that cars would become not a lease-to-own service, but a subscription-based service where at the end of the designated 2-years they come to your house and swap your current product for a new one. Ford has already hinted at something similar to this in the future with their slogan “We want everyone in a Ford.” They aren’t saying that they want everyone to “own” it, but to have that “experience”. It also ensures that it gets the “used” cars off the market where it will “force” the industry to always have a market for cars.

For smaller goods which have traditionally been owned, it makes more sense to have them rented out, such as the Bag Borrow or Steal model in which people can “experience” the product without having to make a commitment if they only want a certain style for a particular occasion.

Bag Borrow or Steal is one of those other example I’ve been thinking about. I also recently heard about a company that offered mobile phones on the same model so there are others out there…

Fashion accessories are even seeing this activity spike in current economic times: http://www.bagborroworsteal.com/ Bag Borrow or Steal offers the same model for luxury goods. As such I think we’re seeing not only “internet-driven goods” moving towards this model but rather, the management of goods via the internet becoming standard across a wide array of goods.