Adoption of homesharing platforms: a cross-cultural study

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors that affect consumer adoption of new ways of sharing accommodation services. Moreover, the authors study the influence of culture, more specifically the uncertainty avoidance (UA) dimension, on relationships between variables in a proposed adoption model.Design/methodology/approachThe structural equation analysis method is used to verify the proposed model. The data were collected from a panel of Spanish and Vietnamese internet users. The survey yielded a total of 418 responses for the data analysis.FindingsThe findings indicate that subjective norms and ease of use exert an effect on perceived usefulness and that intention to use affects actual use in all the groups analyzed. Furthermore, UA has a moderating effect on the adoption of homesharing platforms (HSPs).Research limitations/implicationsA larger sample and a random sampling would facilitate a more accurate generalization of the results obtained for each country. The practical implications identified in this research, along with its limitations and future research opportunities, are interesting both for scholars, service providers and designers of HSPs.Originality/valueThis study bridges a gap in the current research by increasing understanding of the role of the cultural dimensions in a technological innovation adoption model for an HSP. It also takes into account the effect of perceived risk, a dimension that has not been included in previous studies.