The sharing economy revolution and peer-to-peer online platforms. The case of Airbnb

Abstract

The “sharing revolution” would not be possible without digital technologies and the diffusion of ICT worldwide. ICT has created a new level playing field also thanks to peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms, and a new concept, the “sharing and collaborative consumption online”, is expanding. This concept is based on what can be called CASH - “collaboration”, “access”, “sharing” rather than “ownership” meant also as a chance to collect money in addition to monthly salary. This paper aims to describe a successful P2P platform that well reflect the CASH concept, Airbnb, currently the leader of the online accommodation marketplace, using the case study approach and the SWOT analysis methodology. This analysis is useful in order to understand the main features and functioning of such a platform and what to expect for the years to come. Results show that Airbnb is growing at high speed in terms of users and profits but some challenges have to be faced in the next future linked to regulatory issues and to traditional accommodation market and citizens reactions.