The New Rental Economy租赁经济步入新阶段

布赖恩·皮尔森 杨光

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 Piñata13

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.

欢迎来到2019年，今天的零售业，一笔买卖不再是交钱拿货就完事儿了。

有些购物者的消费旨趣往往在于不时翻新家居和生活，而非经年不变。为迎合这类购物者的心血来潮，越来越多的零售商采用按月租赁或产品循环交换使用的销售方式。

Rent The Runway（RTR）公司最近与West Elm公司合作，将业务扩张到了重复使用家居用品，此举令这一消费趋势备受关注。早在RTR之前，Fernish公司就已开展这类业务，该公司在西雅图和洛杉矶的用户可以租赁、交换、购买自用家具或各类收藏品。Joymode等公司还为用户提供包括马丁尼鸡尾酒套装、比萨饼烤箱等各类物品的租赁服务。

一些知名品牌也在关注这一概念：宜家计划在瑞士实施一项家具租赁项目。

然而，共享家具仅仅是一个开始。租赁不是廉租，不论转手的是何种商品，这都是一种十分高端的潮流。这是交换，已被广泛接受的共享经济中一个十分令人愉悦的术语。事实上，暂时购买具有共享经济的许多特征，表明更多种类的产品将被纳入这种消费模式。

零售商们将这一业务模式从服装扩展到了家居用品等其他领域，表明比起所销售的产品，他们更看好租赁经济的生命力。

考虑到这一业务模式部分源自快时尚的热潮，带来这股潮流的是Forever 21这类超时髦的低价连锁店，所以追求延长所交易产品的生命周期倒也合情合理。20年后，关注环保的购物者不忍再加剧世界日益严重的浪费问题。商家抓住了这个机会，租赁也成了时尚——对刚刚走出经济衰退的人群来说，这是一种感觉良好而切实可行的替代方法。

从购物心理上讲，临时拥有很有吸引力，因为消费者会感觉自己购买的是使用体验，而非所有权。

这种模式还有利可图。到2020年，仅转售市场的产值就有望达到410亿美元，而到2025年，共享经济产值预计将高达3350亿美元。

这些预测源自这样一种理念，即共享、租赁和交换将扩展到大型家具等多种商品类别。

RTR与West Elm合作后，购物者可以为自己的卧室和客厅“成捆打包”租用枕头、床罩及其他装饰性物品，30天后可以选择还回或买下。宜家在瑞士尝试开展的家具租赁项目将从办公家具租赁开始，该项目的动因是一个很容易跨界实施的营销策略：就是希望延长其家具产品的使用寿命。

许多商家已跳出家具和服装领域展开跨界经营，其中包括：

Green Piñata

这是个益智玩具俱乐部，它按照课程编排产品目录，从中挑选玩具打包快递给订户。父母每月支付25美元就可以按年龄组别（从6个月到5岁）和游戏技能（如认知或社交）选择四个玩具。孩子想玩多久就玩多久，玩够了可以退回，换取新玩具（免运费）。父母也可以选择购买这些玩具。

Getaround

这是免费会员服务，将司机与丰田、特斯拉等各款汽车联系起来。只需支付每小时5美元的租费，就可与附近的租客共享租车服务，租费中包括保险和道路援助。把自家车通过Getaround出租者可得到专用停车位，以及每月价值50美元的驾驶积分，可在自己租车时抵扣。

Parachut

许多富有创意的人可能无力或不愿购买昂贵的摄影器材，Parachut专为这一人群提供高端设备出租服务，设备来自个人、制造商和品牌商。用户可以根据所需时间使用设备，按日付费。例如，Mavic Pro无人机的租金为每天7美元。Parachut还安排“专业人士”向用户提供支持服务。

Rocksbox

如果电影明星可以借钻石来走红毯，那么普通人为什么不能在派对上炫耀临时借来的小玩意儿呢？每月支付21美元，用户就可以从数千件品牌商品和高档商品目录中挑选自己喜欢的东西。之后，个人形象顾问会为会员挑选三件，会员想租多久就租多久。如果会员对某件商品爱不释手，可以买下，之前的21美元租金在购买时可以抵扣。

Antlos

Antlos实际上是个“从内陆观看到码头上艇”的市场，使那些想乘坐游艇度假的人不必花費数百万美元便能得偿所愿。公司的游艇“船长”遍布从加勒比海到克罗地亚的多个地方，每艘船都配有一名船长。租船人甚至不必会开船。不是所有的船只都是游艇——最近一次搜索发现了一艘双体船，可在希腊租用，租费是每人每天403美元。

上述所有这些服务的共同点是，用户有权选择购进自己租用的商品。但即便如此，购物者还是应该考虑所购商品一旦用完要如何处理。因为在某个地方，很可能会有某个服务公司或商家准备将这些商品重新投入市场，在不固定所有权的前提下翻新、租赁或共享。未来，将不再有一锤子买卖或体验了。

（译者单位：对外经济贸易大学）