What makes guests trust Airbnb? Consumer trust formation and its impact on continuance intention in the sharing economy

Abstract

The prevalence of Airbnb as a sharing economy platform has grown, and trust is the foundation that motivates users to participate in the Airbnb sharing phenomenon. Although studies have identified different forms of trust, such as trust in the host and trust in the platform, few studies have comprehensively investigated the antecedents of these different forms of trust. To demonstrate the importance of trust to Airbnb, this study empirically explored how customers develop their trusting beliefs in Airbnb through guest-based, host-based, and platform-based factors. This study collected data from 416 respondents to test a structural model. The results indicated that the guest-based factor of rating volume and the host-based factors of information quality and media richness positively affected levels of trust in Airbnb. Furthermore, platform-based factors influenced trust in Airbnb in terms of environmental benefits, locational benefits, and authenticity. Finally, trust in Airbnb was a key determinant of users’ continuance intention on the platform.