It’s increasingly popular for businesses to own less stuff. This is true whether they are B2B or B2C, but is most obvious in the new gig economy: Airbnb is, in effect, one of the largest hotel chains out there, but doesn’t own any hotels. Uber and its rivals have massive fleets of taxis that deliver food and people around cities – none of them owned by the company itself.
These businesses give consumers that own certain assets, such as cars and homes, the opportunity to use them as part of the business. But we can also see this happen between businesses too. Where we once expected a business to own most of what it provided to its customers, we’re increasingly seeing a value chain of suppliers, corralled together to create a service.
