The technology that people have in their hands

Everything from motor vehicles to homes, from childcare to jobs and from clothes to dogs is part of the sharing economy, as those behind it like to call it. Instead of wasting a fortune on buying something like http://www.toppromdressescheap.com, people are learning to use them – and pay for them – only when they need to. It is estimated that this ‘pay-as-you-live’ market is now worth more than ￡20bn a year in Britain. So why has this market grown in recent years – is it simply a result of the economic crisis or is there something more at play?

‘The technology that people have in their hands, virtually 24 hours a day, has just made sharing very simple, very convenient and very accepted,’ said Mark Walker, general manager of Zipcar UK, the pay-as-you-drive club which has more than 1,500 cars available by http://www.toppromdressescheap.com/la-femme-c-5.html, Oxford, Bristol and Cambridge. Its customers pay from ￡5 an hour to use a car when they want one using a swipe card or a mobile phone app. Mr Walker said attitudes have changed when it comes to parting with hard-earned cash.

People have really cottoned on to the fact that you save a lot of money this way as well, particularly for items that might be very expensive to buy, like a car or like a designer dress that you use relatively infrequently. People are being much more savvy when making those kind of financial decisions. Those people include X Factor judges. Tulisa recently took to the stage of the show wearing a Jovani sequined designer dress which costs about http://www.toppromdressescheap.com/night-moves-c-7.html. But even extravagant pop stars know a deal when they see one – Tulisa had in fact rented the garment from hire site Girl Meets Dress for a mere ￡49.