The sharing economy has changed the way services are bought and offered. From it came platforms like Airbnb for accommodation or BlaBlaCar for shared mobility, and they have put a key aspect to the test: how to manage payments when several parties take part in the same transaction.

In these businesses, a payment is no longer just a transfer of money between a buyer and a seller. It can involve the platform itself, several sellers, and third parties receiving a commission. The challenge is making sure all of this happens as smoothly as the users interact on the app.

How collaborative payments work

A collaborative payment is designed to split the amount from the very beginning and automatically send each party their share. This avoids relying on manual processes and ensures everyone is paid what they are due.

The main elements are:

• The initial charge (pay-in): the buyer pays on the website or app with their usual method.

• The split logic: depending on the business model, percentages, commissions, or fixed amounts are applied for each party.

• Optional fund holding: funds are released once a condition is met (for example, when a service is completed).

• The outgoing payments (payouts): each participant receives their share on the agreed schedule.

• Refund management: refunds can be full or partial, following the original split.

Examples of marketplace models

• Accommodation between individuals: the guest is charged, funds are held, and then settled with the host, applying the platform’s commission.

• Shared mobility: revenues are split between driver, vehicle owner, and the app.

• Experience platforms: a group payment can be divided between the organizer and the venue, while also handling partial refunds if changes occur.

The challenges of collaborative platforms

For platforms, payments bring challenges that go far beyond simply accepting cards or bank transfers. The main difficulties are:

• Splitting payments between multiple recipients automatically.

• Onboarding and verifying sub-merchants.

• Applying variable commissions without manual intervention.

• Reconciling transactions and having clear reporting.

• Ensuring regulatory compliance in every transaction.

Trying to solve these points with isolated systems or manual processes can slow the business down and erode user trust.

How Zru solves it

Zru is a payment orchestration platform that enables sharing economy businesses and marketplaces to manage their payment flows flexibly. With a single integration you can connect to multiple payment processors and set rules to distribute funds across the right accounts.

Zru also allows pay-ins through different PSPs and payment methods, then disperses the funds to the accounts defined in each case. This way, businesses can choose which processors to work with and are not tied to any single one.

From an operational point of view, Zru makes it possible to:

• Configure split rules and schedule automatic payouts for each participant.

• Onboard sub-merchants with individual visibility of their transactions.

• Route payments to the most suitable processor based on country, card type, or success rate.

• Improve conversion through orchestration and smart retries.

• Centralize reporting and reconciliation in one panel.

A solid foundation to grow

In sharing economy models, payment is part of the product. A system that splits, settles, and reconciles reliably becomes the infrastructure that sustains the trust of both users and sellers. With Zru, platforms have that foundation to manage their pay-ins and payouts clearly, without having to reinvent their internal processes.

If your platform needs to split revenues between multiple participants and gain visibility over every transaction, our payments team can help you design the right payment flow.