The 'thangs' app crowdsources users' friends to help them borrow and lend everyday objects, rather than purchasing them. Not everyone needs to own a power drill, but if someone is building a birdhouse as a summer project, a power drill might be helpful. Buying a drill for a single project is a waste, so, with the thangs app, users can borrow one from friends in their contact list.
The thangs app takes advantage of the growing popularity of the trading economy among digital denizens (think Craigslist, Kijiji, etc.) However, rather than putting strangers in touch with one another, thangs makes it easy to contact one's actual friends for item requests. As a lender, all it takes is one tap to accept or deny a borrowing request. Users just have to remember to pay it forward; thangs only works if its users are as magnanimous as its concept is.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Crowdsourced Sharing
- The thangs app demonstrates the trend of crowdsharing, where users can borrow and lend everyday objects from friends instead of buying them.
- Trading Economy
- Thangs taps into the growing popularity of the trading economy by enabling users to connect with their friends for item borrowing.
- Peer-to-peer Sharing
- With the thangs app, users can easily contact their friends to lend or borrow items, showcasing the trend of peer-to-peer sharing.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Collaborative Consumption
- The thangs app belongs to the collaborative consumption industry, which promotes the sharing of resources and reducing unnecessary purchases.
- Sharing Economy
- Thangs aligns with the sharing economy industry, where peer-to-peer sharing platforms enable the utilization of underutilized assets.
- Social Networking
- The social networking industry can explore the disruptive innovation opportunity of integrating sharing functionalities like thangs into their platforms.
