Rachel Chen
TIAS School for Business and Society
Mirjam Minderman
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Face to face introductions to the new users makes HomeApp123 different from other platforms, and it allows the users to verify the devices and strengthen the connection and recognition among the users which makes the model more sustainable.
"HomeApp123 is positioned to provide a new life experience for the consumers: First, use a relative small amount of money to experience high-end appliances to avoid purchasing the wrong product. Furthermore, to achieve resource sharing, we would like to convey the concept of cherishing and fully utilizing the things we have, and to revive the beauty of simple life." - Judy Founder HomeApp123
“Sharing economy” is a buzz phrase that has been widely spread across different industries in Western countries, while Asian countries are lagging behind in perceiving this trend. In Taiwan, two full time housewives, Judy and Xiaomi, started up the company “HomeApp123” which provides a platform for users to lease their spare/ready-to-be-replaced home appliances. The founders utilized the strength in their community in the early stage, then used google sheets for the matching system. In 2016 the scale of growth of the platform enabled them to kick-off the online matching system. Once the request is matched, the owner has to hand over the appliance in person to the “tenant”, and tutor how it works. The company is different from other sharing economy startups in Taiwan as they are more cautious but with strong execution to influence the people around them and to choose the right market by holding numerous seminars in the neighborhood.
The two housewives, Judy and Xiaomi, met at an entrepreneur course, and discovered they both chose to be full-time housewives because they value all the moments during their children’s growth. However, they also hoped that they could increase their passive income for the family since they now have flexible schedules. Coincidentally, they decided to start the first step via sharing a very expensive vacuum cleaner.
The overall impact of HomeApp123 can be summarized in three aspects.
1. Providing a smarter consumer option
Considering the frequency of utilization, the consumer could go to HomeApp123 for temporary or one time use, instead of going to a retail shop for purchasing a device. Before deciding to buy the expensive home appliance, the potential consumer is able to see if the desired electronics is really needed at home and worth buying, thus avoiding the regret of an unnecessary expense after the compulsion to buy.
2. Strengthen the local community connection
Apart from using home delivery service, HomeApp123 choose face-to-face to hand over the article. The owner therefore has the chance to explain the details of the article and personal experience with the “tenant”, which is more genuine than the sales talk from the commercial front. Furthermore, the interaction between two people, who share insights and take the transaction seriously, will reinforce the cognition and connections within the community.
3. Encourage fulltime housewives
Women giving up their career does not equate to giving up their ambition and dignity at home. By applying the resource at home, full time housewives could increase the passive income for family. It is not necessary for women who work at home to compromise with a packed space. The great advantage of HomeApp123 is that housewives could rent an efficient device to fulfill the housework smartly and leave the living space to her loving children.
Through word of mouth and some press interviews, HomeApp123 has become favored among the users in Taiwan. Back in 2016, the predecessor of HomeApp123 became the top one search term on the internet. During that time, they only advertised themselves by distributing, by the founders and their partners, flyers in their communities. In 2017, the registered users soon grew from 10 people to more than 700 people. By filling the Google document and matching manually, around 200 transactions were matched within the period. The model has now been transferred to an online platform to cater to more requests from the consumers since 2018.
HomeApp123 is a platform designed to provide alternatives for users so that they can make up their minds before purchasing something out of impulse. According to research, electronics are contributing almost as much to global warming pollution as the entire airline industry. Manufacturing the electronics itself employ a lot of resources, however, most of them will sit idle in the home the majority of the time. Thrift has been viewed as a virtue of Taiwanese for a long time, thus this app combines the ideas of being eco-friendly and economical. Consumers can now get rid of unnecessary unproductive appliances in the home.
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Judy Chuang, Founder
Ms. Huang, PR
Two full time housewives in Taiwan utilize the power of community to start up the home appliances sharing platform for consumers who only need devices for temporary use and thus avoid the risk to invest in unnecessary items at home. Their story also encourages women who gave up their career for family to be successful entrepreneurs as well.