NEWSROOM

The sharing economy, which has emerged with topics such as transportation, accommodation, and second-hand clothing sharing, has created significant economic value in the past five years. Current estimates indicate that the sharing economy market will reach a size of 335 billion dollars by 2025, and a new mobile application has been released that adapts the sharing economy to daily needs.

TURKEY - The sharing economy, which creates new generation business models through platforms such as Uber for transportation and Airbnb for accommodation, enabling individuals to share their products and services through an intermediary to meet their needs and earn income, has become one of the most popular concepts in recent years. The sharing economy, estimated to reach a size of 335 billion dollars by 2025, is projected to grow by 32% annually until 2028. In Turkey, mobile applications and platforms compatible with this global trend have also started to be developed. A mobile application called "Aylak," which focuses on instant needs and allows individuals to solve each other's demands and earn extra income, has been released on Android and iOS app stores.

Cengizhan İpek, the Founder of Aylak, who shared his evaluations on the subject, said, "We set out to create a platform that will help people meet their daily needs and desires and enable those who meet these demands to earn income."

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Cengizhan İpek, who stated that the proliferation of concepts such as the sharing economy and gig economy is directly related to global economic conditions, said, "Jobs that anyone with free time can do, such as food delivery, driving service, pet care, create an additional source of income for many people with a piece-rate payment model. Aylak appeals to anyone who wants to turn the sharing economy into an income model, even if they don't have a car or a house. Both users with demands and those who have time to meet these demands can use the Aylak application. Users with demands can easily create requests such as a dress that needs to be dry cleaned, lecture notes that need to be picked up from school, a charging device left in a cafe, or a product only available in a store. Independent workers who think they can meet the demand can send time and wage offers and take on the job. When both parties approve the completion of the request through the application, the offered amount is transferred to the user who performed the task. This way, no product or service that cannot be reached through a mobile application is left behind," he said.

"We promote sustainable transportation.”

Cengizhan İpek, the Founder of Aylak, expressed that they also take into account the environmental impact of the sharing economy and stated, "As Aylak, we strive to prove that a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and sharing-based economy is possible. In this regard, we have developed a policy in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We encourage users who fulfill requests to avoid using motorized vehicles whenever possible and to perform their tasks by walking, cycling, using electric scooters, or public transportation. We incentivize them with environmental gifts, rewards, and promotions. At Aylak, we do not employ full-time or professional couriers, and we do not have our own teams in the field. The platform we offer in the app stores serves as an intermediary that brings together users with demands and users who want to earn additional income by fulfilling those demands. In this aspect, Aylak does not promise speed; it promises accessibility. On the one hand, people can access products and services they couldn't reach during the day, and on the other hand, individuals with available time, especially university students needing to earn pocket money, can earn income," he said.

"We will enter the global market by the end of 2024.”

Cengizhan İpek, the Founder of Aylak, reminded that the application currently serves users to fulfill their product requests and concluded his evaluations with the following statement: "In the future, we aim to provide our users with access to many services. We want to position Aylak as a super app first in Turkey and then in the global market. We are pleased with the progress we have made in our journey since 2020 and the changes we have experienced. With our mobile applications that we have made available to everyone as of March 2023 and our business model that we believe can compete in the global market, we continue to work with the goal of expanding internationally by the end of 2024.”