In search of a Share app of all kinds of everyday things, I am on the App WeeShare stumbled upon. Here you can share, rent and lease everything you can imagine, from hedge trimmers to VW buses. This way, less waste is created and commodities don't end up in the basement cupboards of our households after just one use. To get a closer look at the principle of the WeeShare app, I met with Christian Schmitz, the founder of WeeShare, for a chat. Interview arranged. Have fun!
What is WeeShare and who is behind it?
Back in 2010, three of us shared an old Jaguar, a lover's object. In the beginning, sharing was very chaotic and confusing. Questions quickly arose about who was going to pay for what, how we were going to balance the costs between us, who had it when, and where it was currently parked. We communicated via phone, chat and public calendars but the chaos remained. This was the start of the WeeShare app in 2012 which fulfilled all these purposes and made it possible to share in private in an easy, supportive and clear way. Knowing that this need for sharing is not limited to vehicles, we developed the app so that it can be used for all things that are shared.
What can you share on WeeShare?
WeeShare leaves it up to its users what they want to share and whether they want to share it privately via personal invitation or to other WeeShare users. The functionality has been developed so that everything imaginable can be organized with the app. For example, for each thing that is shared, it can be determined if there is a price per hour, per kilometer or if the use is free. The app ensures that all sharers know who has the thing and when (with a calendar), who contributes how much to the cost (with simple accounting) and where it is located (via the street map). In addition to that, the app offers a chat and notepad where all important information can be shared.
What is shared is mainly determined by the value of the thing. Thus, mainly vehicles are shared with each other, as well as boats and private airplanes. Cheaper things like everyday objects are unfortunately shared less often because the acquisition costs are very low, but would be very valuable for the environment. The uses are limitless, sharing does not stop at expensive objects. For example, we share our common laundry room in the apartment block or when we are traveling the common expenses. Here, the WeeShare app lets you easily activate or deactivate individual functions per item.
Who is the classic WeeShare app user?
Typically, WeeShare is used in urban environments where costs are generally higher and users pay more attention to saving. Another aspect is the careful use of resources by users who want to be conscious about consumption and at the same time keep an eye on the Environment lay. Still others want to make things they rarely use available to their neighborhood or community. Since the WeeShare app offers a solution for many personal preferences (like saving the environment, saving money, sharing socially), users of all ages can be found on our platform. However, in the main, we say that due to the large sums of money that can be saved by sharing, the main audience of WeeShare is formed. I myself, for example, am the perfect WeeShare user. I now share my third car, saving an average of 3,000 euros a year and reducing my environmental impact at the same time - I feel good!
What does the future of the sharing economy look like?
Shareconomy is a big term that includes all kinds of things. We see ourselves mainly at home in the term "sharing". An aspect that, in our opinion, has unfortunately never been strongly emphasized. Especially private sharing among friends or acquaintances is an area that has never been exhausted and at the same time was the reason for the development of WeeShare. We have also just published a comprehensive review of 10 years of Shareconomy on our blog which describes our thoughts on it. Speaking for our field - sharing - we see a strongly growing future. WeeShare breaks a remarkable bar this year: our app has been used over 1 million times. We'll add another million in 2019. WeeShare is growing by 100% a year, which we expect to be a great future for us and see that sharing is a global need.
Where can I get the WeeShare app?
We developed WeeShare free of charge for the Apple AppStore and Android Playstore. Since 2016, we have also developed WeeShare as a website version. This way we make sure that WeeShare is accessible from all over the world and that there are no limits to sharing. For private use WeeShare is completely free. However, if you want to actively support WeeShare then sharing our website content on social media is the best way, thank you for that! For businesses, we offer "WeeShare for Business" as a paid service in various forms. More information can be found on our website.
Thanks for the info on the Weeshare app, we wish continued maximum success!
What do you think about the WeeShare app and what things have you already shared with the app? I think it's a great app, in the spirit of the Zero Waste Lifestyle. Sharing helps us to reuse things and to use the resources needed to produce the respective product as sensibly as possible. By the way, the Food Sharing an important part of the sharing movement, precisely in order to Reduce food waste to be able to. Do you have any questions, tips or suggestions about the WeeShare app or sharing things in general? Feel free to leave me a comment below this article.
Stay clean,
PS.: In the article Zero Waste Apps you'll get more great tips on apps that help you reduce waste.
