Cars, clothes, carrots … why buy them when you can subscribe?

theguardian.com:

Hollie Wright spotted an opportunity. Working in property management, she came across a company that needed to furnish a home for an employee moving in for a few months. What if they could rent everything from one place and pay a subscription?

Two decades later, her business, Instant Home, allows people to pay a monthly rent starting at £220 for the basics for a one-bed flat (or £500 for more premium versions). When the rental ends, her company takes everything back.

The furniture rental market has traditionally been about showhomes at property developments. But British department store stalwart John Lewis started experimenting with a service last year, and Wright is finding more and more households ready to lease their interiors.

“We’ve got these younger people coming in who are environmentally sensitive, who are much more used to renting things than the older generation,” says Wright. “I think they’ve got their head around not owning everything.”

In fact, the subscription economy is on the march through almost every aspect of daily life – from long-established businesses such as pay-per-view TV and car rental to energy, food and even clothing. If you can use it, you can rent it.

There are attractions for consumers and businesses. The subscriber avoids the hassle of having to sort out purchase payments every time, or even of having to make a choice; for larger items such as cars, they can avoid a substantial upfront cost. Businesses can lock in repeat purchases and guarantee less volatile earnings (albeit sometimes at the cost of a discount). And there are also potential environmental benefits if items are reused.

Here are some subscription models that could be shaping our lives in the years to come.

The installation of home