Abstract
AbstractMany peer‐to‐peer sharing platforms are transforming their business model from sharing for free to renting with or without in‐person interactions. How will these changes affect consumers’ participation in peer‐to‐peer sharing of personal items? The work studies consumers’ choice among three business models that vary on two dimensions: “free versus renting” and “with or without in‐person interactions.” The novelty is to consider that consumers’ choice can be driven by their perceptions of relationships among peers, which are shaped by the business models of sharing platforms. Perceptions of communal sharing (CS) relationships among peers are found to differ across business models and to predict consumers’ choice among the platforms above and beyond the economic and social benefits that consumers seek. Interestingly, perceptions of CS are not only found to explain the choice of a sharing for the free business model over the two others, but also the choice of renting with in‐person interactions over renting without in‐person interactions. For managers of peer‐to‐peer sharing platforms, this means that renting does not make sharing completely similar to traditional market exchanges as long as in‐person interactions are involved. For scholars, this calls for more work on the factors that bring about perceptions of CS.
Highlights
Peer‐to‐peer sharing refers to “consumers granting each other temporary access to underutilized physical assets” (Frenken & Schor, 2017, pp. 4–5)
Presenting together the results for the effects of the type of benefits consumers seek (H1a&b) and the differences in mental representations of peer‐to‐ peer relationships across the business models (H3a–c) make it possible to show that the drivers suggested by relational models theory complement what is already known in terms of the social and economic benefits consumers seek
At a time where peer‐to‐peer sharing platforms are experimenting with various business models to find a way to both attract enough consumers and earn money from their activities, the present study aimed to shed new light on consumers’ choice among three platform business models by turning to what consumers expect platforms to deliver with regard to the nature of relationships among consumers, in complement to the usual focus on the types of benefits consumers seek
Summary
Peer‐to‐peer sharing refers to “consumers granting each other temporary access to underutilized physical assets” (Frenken & Schor, 2017, pp. 4–5). While a few platforms such as Airbnb have been tremendously successful, most peer‐to‐peer sharing platforms are still trying to figure out which business model will help them attract enough consumers to be viable in the long term. While sharing for free with in‐person interactions was the business model initially adopted by many peer‐to‐peer sharing platforms, quite a few platforms are experimenting with business models that aim to.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
