In a world of constant upgrading, ownership can feel outmoded. Mobile phone network Vodafone harnessed this insight with Red Hot – a new deal that lets users rent the latest phones for a year, plus insurance and price plan, before giving it back.

In urban areas, renting can be more practical than owning. General Motors are giving six million drivers the chance to rent out their cars to others, showing how brands can capitalise on a consumer shift from ownership to access.

Birchbox is a high end beauty e-tailer which dispatches samples to subscribers for a monthly fee. We consider their innovative product service system in the light of changing definitions of luxury and fluctuating consumer trends.

Sharing office space with other independent professionals is already a familiar concept to many freelancers. Loosecubes is a New-York based online database of co-working spaces which hopes to take the trend mainstream.