Towards a new model to understand quality in collaborative consumption services

Abstract

The collaborative consumption industry, which is based on the idea of providing more sustainable uses for resources, has experienced high growth rates since it was introduced a few years ago. As an alternative to traditional businesses, some of the management models that apply to regular companies must be reviewed and adapted for collaborative consumption organisations. However, none of the existing conceptual quality management models has been adapted to suit the particularities of this new kind of service.The goal of the present study is to introduce a model to conceptualise how quality is perceived and managed in the collaborative consumption setting. The proposed model is based on the Service Quality GAP Model designed by Parasuraman and his team in the 1980s.The new model contributes with two novelties that enable its updating and adaptation to this particular collaborative consumption setting: (i) its cyclical shape, and (ii) including the interactions between the consumer and the peer service provider, and those that occur between the consumer and the digital platform.Service quality has been proven to have a relevant impact on overall business performance, client satisfaction, loyalty and profitability. This new model will be a useful contribution for both academics and managers in collaborative consumption companies.