A new report looking into co-creation and a ‘collaborative economy’ has outlined that sharing online through sites like Airbnb, Uber and Kickstarter is growing, mainstream, pragmatic and satisfying, and as a result, has become a competitive threat to large corporations.

Also known as the sharing economy, the sharing or trading of goods and services between customers – enabled by a new set of websites and applications – is growing rapidly and already represents 40% of the American adult population. As this new generation of customers continues to grow and challenge established businesses, companies will increasingly need to turn to their customers for valuable insight and collaborate with them to make more informed and customer-centric decisions.

See the infographic below: