The New Rental Economy租賃經濟步入新階段

布賴恩·皮爾森 楊光

Welcome to retail 2019， when no sale is ever final.

From monthly rentals to circular product swapping， more retailers are catering the whims1 of shoppers who are inclined to2 invest in what they fantasize their homes and lives to be for occasions， but not forever.

Rent The Runway3 spotlighted this purchasing proclivity4 with its recent expansion into reusable home furnishings through a partnership with West Elm5. Rent the Runway follows Fernish6， whose Seattle and Los Angeles subscribers can rent， trade and buy individual furnishings or curated collections. And companies such as Joymode7 sell rental subscriptions for items ranging from martini kits to pizza ovens.

Big brands are eyeing the concept as well： Ikea is planning a furniture leasing program in Switzerland.

Furniture is just an indicator， however. Borrowing is not low-rent; it’s high style， regardless of the items changing hands. It’s swapping—a term very palatable8 in the widely accepted sharing economy. Temporary purchasing in fact shares many characteristics of the sharing economy， which indicates more product categories will be absorbed into this model of consumerism.

By extending from apparel to the home and beyond， retailers suggest the prognosis for the borrowing economy’s longevity is better than that of the products involved.

That it seeks to extend the lifecycle of the products traded is fitting， considering its origins exist， in part， in the fast-fashion craze made possible by low-priced， uber-trendy chains such as Forever 21. Twenty years later， conscientious9 shoppers are less comfortable contributing to10 the world’s growing waste problem. Merchants spotted the opportunity and rentals became vogue—a feel-good， feasible alternative for a post-recession population.

Psychologically， temporary ownership appeals because it feels as if we are investing in experiences， not ownership.

And it’s lucrative11. The resale market alone is expected to generate $41 billion by 2020， while the sharing economy is projected to reach $335 billion by 2025.

Those projections borrow from the belief that sharing， renting and swapping will extend into a variety of categories， such as the large home furnishings sector.

Rent The Runway’s partnership with West Elm enables shoppers to rent “bundles” of pillows， throws and other decorative items for the bedroom and living room， and then return or purchase them after 30 days. And Ikea’s Swiss-based leasing test， which will begin with office furniture， is motivated by12 a strategy that can easily jump borders： It just wants to prolong the life of its furnishings.

Among merchants that are taking the leap outside of furniture and apparel：

Green Pi?ata13

This educational toy club ships boxes of playthings selected from a catalog organized by curriculum. For $25 a month， parents can select four toys by age group （six months to five years） as well as play skill， such as cognitive or social. The child can play with the toys for as long as he wants before returning for a new box （shipping is free）， and parents have the option to buy the toys.

Getaround14

This free membership service links drivers to a range of cars， from Toyotas to Teslas， that they share with nearby renters for as little as $5 an hour. All rentals include insurance and roadside assistance. Those who rent out their cars through Getaround get dedicated parking spots and $50 monthly driving credits toward their own rentals.

Parachut15

Designed for creative people who might not be able or willing to invest in expensive camera gear， Parachut rents out high-end equipment from individuals， manufacturers and brands. Subscribers can use the gear as long as necessary， paying daily rates. A Mavic Pro drone， for example， rents for $7 a day. Parachut “pros” are available to help users.

Rocksbox16

Movie stars borrow diamonds for the red carpet， so why shouldn’t everyday people sport temporary baubles at a party？ For $21 a month， subscribers build wish lists of items from a catalog of thousands of designer and exclusive pieces. A personal stylist then selects three pieces for the member to rent as long as she desires. If the member falls in love with a piece， she can apply the $21 fee to its purchase.

Antlos17

An actual peer-to-pier18 marketplace， Antlos enables those who want yacht vacations to take them， without spending millions. Its yacht “Skippers” operate from the Caribbean to Croatia， and every boat comes equipped with an on-board captain （or skipper）. The renter does not even have to know how to sail. Not all boats are yachts—one recent search turned up a catamaran， available in Greece， for $403 a day per guest.

What is consistent across all of these services is users have the option to own what they rent. But even then， shoppers should think about their product’s next life. Because somewhere， there will likely be a service or merchant prepared to re-enter these items into the economy， to be refurbished， rented or shared without the commitment of ownership. No sale， or experience， will be final.

歡迎來到2019年，今天的零售業，一筆買賣不再是交錢拿貨就完事兒了。

有些購物者的消費旨趣往往在于不時翻新家居和生活，而非經年不變。為迎合這類購物者的心血來潮，越來越多的零售商采用按月租賃或產品循環交換使用的銷售方式。

Rent The Runway（RTR）公司最近與West Elm公司合作，將業務擴張到了重復使用家居用品，此舉令這一消費趨勢備受關注。早在RTR之前，Fernish公司就已開展這類業務，該公司在西雅圖和洛杉磯的用戶可以租賃、交換、購買自用家具或各類收藏品。Joymode等公司還為用戶提供包括馬丁尼雞尾酒套裝、比薩餅烤箱等各類物品的租賃服務。

一些知名品牌也在關注這一概念：宜家計劃在瑞士實施一項家具租賃項目。

然而，共享家具僅僅是一個開始。租賃不是廉租，不論轉手的是何種商品，這都是一種十分高端的潮流。這是交換，已被廣泛接受的共享經濟中一個十分令人愉悅的術語。事實上，暫時購買具有共享經濟的許多特征，表明更多種類的產品將被納入這種消費模式。

零售商們將這一業務模式從服裝擴展到了家居用品等其他領域，表明比起所銷售的產品，他們更看好租賃經濟的生命力。

考慮到這一業務模式部分源自快時尚的熱潮，帶來這股潮流的是Forever 21這類超時髦的低價連鎖店，所以追求延長所交易產品的生命周期倒也合情合理。20年后，關注環保的購物者不忍再加劇世界日益嚴重的浪費問題。商家抓住了這個機會，租賃也成了時尚——對剛剛走出經濟衰退的人群來說，這是一種感覺良好而切實可行的替代方法。

從購物心理上講，臨時擁有很有吸引力，因為消費者會感覺自己購買的是使用體驗，而非所有權。

這種模式還有利可圖。到2020年，僅轉售市場的產值就有望達到410億美元，而到2025年，共享經濟產值預計將高達3350億美元。

這些預測源自這樣一種理念，即共享、租賃和交換將擴展到大型家具等多種商品類別。

RTR與West Elm合作后，購物者可以為自己的臥室和客廳“成捆打包”租用枕頭、床罩及其他裝飾性物品，30天后可以選擇還回或買下。宜家在瑞士嘗試開展的家具租賃項目將從辦公家具租賃開始，該項目的動因是一個很容易跨界實施的營銷策略：就是希望延長其家具產品的使用壽命。

許多商家已跳出家具和服裝領域展開跨界經營，其中包括：

Green Pi?ata

這是個益智玩具俱樂部，它按照課程編排產品目錄，從中挑選玩具打包快遞給訂戶。父母每月支付25美元就可以按年齡組別（從6個月到5歲）和游戲技能（如認知或社交）選擇四個玩具。孩子想玩多久就玩多久，玩夠了可以退回，換取新玩具（免運費）。父母也可以選擇購買這些玩具。

Getaround

這是免費會員服務，將司機與豐田、特斯拉等各款汽車聯系起來。只需支付每小時5美元的租費，就可與附近的租客共享租車服務，租費中包括保險和道路援助。把自家車通過Getaround出租者可得到專用停車位，以及每月價值50美元的駕駛積分，可在自己租車時抵扣。

Parachut

許多富有創意的人可能無力或不愿購買昂貴的攝影器材，Parachut專為這一人群提供高端設備出租服務，設備來自個人、制造商和品牌商。用戶可以根據所需時間使用設備，按日付費。例如，Mavic Pro無人機的租金為每天7美元。Parachut還安排“專業人士”向用戶提供支持服務。

Rocksbox

如果電影明星可以借鉆石來走紅毯，那么普通人為什么不能在派對上炫耀臨時借來的小玩意兒呢？每月支付21美元，用戶就可以從數千件品牌商品和高檔商品目錄中挑選自己喜歡的東西。之后，個人形象顧問會為會員挑選三件，會員想租多久就租多久。如果會員對某件商品愛不釋手，可以買下，之前的21美元租金在購買時可以抵扣。

Antlos

Antlos實際上是個“從內陸觀看到碼頭上艇”的市場，使那些想乘坐游艇度假的人不必花費數百萬美元便能得償所愿。公司的游艇“船長”遍布從加勒比海到克羅地亞的多個地方，每艘船都配有一名船長。租船人甚至不必會開船。不是所有的船只都是游艇——最近一次搜索發現了一艘雙體船，可在希臘租用，租費是每人每天403美元。

上述所有這些服務的共同點是，用戶有權選擇購進自己租用的商品。但即便如此，購物者還是應該考慮所購商品一旦用完要如何處理。因為在某個地方，很可能會有某個服務公司或商家準備將這些商品重新投入市場，在不固定所有權的前提下翻新、租賃或共享。未來，將不再有一錘子買賣或體驗了。

（譯者單位：對外經濟貿易大學）