Future of work newsletter free subscription Future of work newsletter free subscription Future of work newsletter free subscription
  • Marketplace
  • Resources
  • Business Directory
  • Events
  • Advertise
  • Brand Pulse
  • Publish a Press Release
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Contact
  • About Us
The FUTURE OF WORK® since 2003
Allwork.Space
No Result
View All Result
Subscribe
  • More
    • Columnists
      • Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
      • Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
      • Angela Howard – Culture Expert
      • Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
      • Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
    • Get the Newsletter
    • Events
    • Advertise With Us
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand PulseNew
    • Partner Portal
  • Latest News
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Work-life
  • Career Growth
  • Tech
  • Design
  • Workforce
  • Coworking
  • CRE
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Columnists
      • Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
      • Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
      • Angela Howard – Culture Expert
      • Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
      • Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
    • Get the Newsletter
    • Events
    • Advertise With Us
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand PulseNew
    • Partner Portal
  • Latest News
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Work-life
  • Career Growth
  • Tech
  • Design
  • Workforce
  • Coworking
  • CRE
  • Podcast
No Result
View All Result
Subscribe
Allwork.Space
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Could This Social Experiment Rock the Coworking Sector?

Jo MeunierbyJo Meunier
January 21, 2014
in Business
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Ziferblat London

Ziferblat London

It seems the London cafe scene is no stranger to headline-grabbing ideas. Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, the first ‘cat cafe’ in London where customers can enjoy the company of resident felines, has enjoyed high-profile media and newspaper coverage thanks to its niche angle. And although yet to open, the idea certainly has legs.

Now another London cafe has caught our attention, but it’s got nothing to do with cats. Ziferblat, a London-based Russian cafe, is doing an efficient job of tapping into the coworking trend in a rather unique way.

Ziferblat is a cafe-cum-workspace that offers free drinks and nibbles to punters. Sounds a little odd for a cafe – especially one with almost a dozen other locations to its name. The twist? Rather than charging for food and drink, Ziferblat charges for time.

Workers welcome

This is a novel approach for a coffee shop, and not just because the coffee is free. And not just because it’s cheap either. At just 3 pence per minute, guests can come and while away an hour for the incredibly low cost of £1.80 (approx $3.00), inclusive of a seemingly unlimited supply of drinks and nibbles.

It’s staggeringly cheap – particularly in London, the world’s most expensive place to rent office space. But the really interesting point is that, unlike many other cafes and big-name chains, Ziferblat actually encourages workers to settle down with their laptops and mobile devices.

As we explored recently on OfficingToday, today’s mobile workers are becoming less welcome in cafes and coffee shops. But despite the best efforts of some cafes to minimalise the amount of time workers sit and use the Wi-Fi, nursing the dregs of an hour-old latte, laptop-wielding workers continue to enjoy the buzz and bustle (and free Wi-Fi) of local cafes.

Now it seems that Ziferblat has found a way to capitalise on that trend. Rather than turning workers away or hiding the plug sockets, they are welcomed with free drinks and snacks. And in an establishment that charges by the minute, it makes sense.

Micro-tenants

So what exactly is Ziferblat? It’s not a ‘classic’ coworking space. It’s not even a cafe. It’s a “social experiment” – described as such on its own website, where each guest “becomes a sort of micro-tenant of the space, responsible for it and able to influence its life”. According to the website, Ziferblat is “first and foremost a social project, and not a business model.”

It’s a niche concept and, just like Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, that’s its marketing prowess.

The Ziferblat concept is worlds away from business centres. Or is it? These two worlds are in fact subtly linked through the all-encompassing market of flexible workspace. Take the Regus Businessworld model, for instance, where members can drop in to Regus business lounges to pause between meetings, use the Wi-Fi and enjoy hot drinks. At Ziferblat, you’ll also get a place to land, workspace and drinks – albeit with a significantly different culture and cost structure.

More stories for you

You Won’t Believe How Much It Costs to Start a Coworking Space — Or How Profitable It Can Be

You Won’t Believe How Much It Costs to Start a Coworking Space — Or How Profitable It Can Be

16 hours ago
Jonathan’s Flex Diary Can WeWork’s New Campaign Win Back The Business World

Jonathan’s Flex Diary: Can WeWork’s New Campaign Win Back The Business World?

17 hours ago
London Flexible Office Provider Workspace’s Occupancy Falls As Large Clients Leave Following Rise Of Hybrid Work

London Flexible Office Provider Workspace’s Occupancy Falls As Large Clients Leave Following Rise Of Hybrid Work

1 day ago
11 Ways To Build Social Capital A Guide For Coworking Operators And Community Builders

11 Ways To Build Social Capital: A Guide For Coworking Operators And Community Builders

2 days ago

As Ray Lindenberg, President of Workspace Association of New York explains, Ziferblat’s by-the-minute model can indeed be aligned to the flexible workspace market.

“We’re just seeing the leading edges of the ‘Rentable-By-The-Minute’, flexible, touchdown workspace model – which makes a heckuva lot of sense in our increasingly on-the-go, thrift-manic, Work Anywhere universe,” he said. “When will we start seeing ‘Rentable-By-The-Minute’ Touchdown workspaces rolled out and be offered to an eager, larger market by wise, attentive, fresh-thinking entrepreneurs? Any minute – it’s a matter of time.”

Niche opportunities

As for Ziferblat, don’t expect this social experiment to steal your business centre clients just yet, but consider the marketing angle. What’s your niche? And taking the idea further, is there a way in which flexible workspace could work on a ‘free’ concept – and remain profitable?

Ray added: “Form always follows function. We live in an ever-evolving, Darwinist business world where, if a practice is valuable, some sharpie will figure out a way to make it accessible to the masses and monetize it. In the late 90’s, who would have envisioned that cars could be rented by the hour, a la ZipCar?”

Ziferblat started out purely by voluntary donations, and incredibly, the founders claim it never struggled financially. Only now is a slightly more formal system coming into play which charges for time. But even that was the result of a joke.

Coworking and touchdown spaces are each special and unique in their own right and this workspace movement is exactly that – a moving, malleable model that shifts and changes depending on demand. Ziferblat exists as a prime example of how a niche concept and a novel approach can generate results, even against the odds.

Should business centres spend less time focusing on square footage, and place more emphasis on clock-watching? Or perhaps we’re missing the point entirely. Could we see a new breed of future workspace where even clock-watching is out, and trust and voluntary donations are in? It might seem light years away. But a social experiment without a business model is proving that the old adage, ‘time is money’, is indeed worth its weight in gold.

Image source: Ziferblat London, Facebook

Tags: CoworkingMarketing
Share5Tweet3Share1
Jo Meunier

Jo Meunier

Jo is Allwork.Space's Senior Editor for the UK and Europe. Jo has worked within business centre and coworking circles since 2009, researching and contributing written features for numerous industry publications. She reports on the latest market news and delves into local issues with one main objective: to champion the flexible workspace industry and its members.

Other Stories Recommended For You

You Won’t Believe How Much It Costs to Start a Coworking Space — Or How Profitable It Can Be
Coworking

You Won’t Believe How Much It Costs to Start a Coworking Space — Or How Profitable It Can Be

byUltraSoftBIS
16 hours ago

Coworking spaces can be profitable but success depends on location, costs, and smart strategy.

Read more
Jonathan’s Flex Diary Can WeWork’s New Campaign Win Back The Business World

Jonathan’s Flex Diary: Can WeWork’s New Campaign Win Back The Business World?

17 hours ago
London Flexible Office Provider Workspace’s Occupancy Falls As Large Clients Leave Following Rise Of Hybrid Work

London Flexible Office Provider Workspace’s Occupancy Falls As Large Clients Leave Following Rise Of Hybrid Work

1 day ago
11 Ways To Build Social Capital A Guide For Coworking Operators And Community Builders

11 Ways To Build Social Capital: A Guide For Coworking Operators And Community Builders

2 days ago
Advertisements
Workspaces Run Better On UltraSoftBIS
Advertisements
Yardi Kube automates flex and coworking operations

Unlock your competitive edge in tomorrow's workplace.

Join a community of forward-thinking professionals who get exclusive access to the latest news, trends, and innovations that are shaping the future of work.

©2024 Allwork.Space News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Exploring the Future Of Work® since 2003.

Advertise   Newsletters   Privacy Policy   Terms Of Use   About Us   Contact   Submit a Press Release   Brand Pulse   Podcast   Events   

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Topics
    • Business
    • Leadership
    • Work-life
    • Workforce
    • Career Growth
    • Design
    • Tech
    • Coworking
    • Marketing
    • CRE
  • Podcast
  • Events
  • About Us
  • Solutions
    • Advertise | Media Kit
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand Pulse
Subscribe

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00