Why people participate in the sharing economy: an empirical investigation of Uber

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of inhibiting, motivating, and technological factors on users’ intention to participate in the sharing economy. Design/methodology/approach A self-reported online survey was conducted among Uber users in Hong Kong. A total of 295 valid responses were collected. The research model was empirically tested using the structural equation modeling technique. Findings The results suggested that perceived risks, perceived benefits, trust in the platform, and perceived platform qualities were significant predictors of users’ intention to participate in Uber. Research limitations/implications This study bridged the research gaps in the sharing economy literature by examining the effects of perceived risks, perceived benefits, and trust in the platform on users’ intention to participate in the sharing economy. Moreover, this study enriched the extended valence framework by incorporating perceived platform qualities into the research model, responding to the calls for the inclusion of technological variables in information systems research. Practical implications The findings provided practitioners with insights into enhancing users’ intention to participate in the sharing economy. Originality/value This study presented one of the first attempts to systematically examine the effects of inhibiting, motivating, and technological factors on users’ intention to participate in the sharing economy.

Understanding the intention to buy secondhand clothing on sharing economy platforms: The influence of sustainability, distance from the consumption system, and economic motivations

“…There is wide consensus among marketing and psychology scholars dealing with SE and CC that both of the phenomena are highly intertwined if not largely overlapping (Belk, 2014; Lee et al, 2018). Arguably, the use of either circumlocution is driven by the research perspective and the focus of the analysis.…”

“…Studies dealing with marketing issues from a demand‐side and consumption perspective have focused more on “the P2P‐based activity of obtaining, giving, or sharing access to goods and services, coordinated through community‐based online services” (Hamari et al, 2016, p. 2049). Those studies have analyzed consumer behavior in P2P platforms mainly looking at the antecedents of online CC from a consumer perspective (Benoit et al, 2017; Hamari, 2013, 2016; Hofmann, Hartl, & Penz, 2017; Lang & Joyner Armstrong, 2018; Lee et al, 2018; Möhlmann, 2015; Perren & Kozinets, 2018; Piscicelli, Cooper, & Fisher, 2015). While some definitions of CC exclude permanent transfer of ownership (e.g., Belk, 2014), others include trading or swapping as a way to redistribute unwanted or underused products (e.g., Lang & Joyner Armstrong, 2018).…”

“…The main idea of the sharing economy (SE) is to realize value from underutilized resources (Lee, Chan, Balaji, & Chong, 2018). This emerging trend is powered by advanced digital technologies and innovative business models, which connect providers and users of goods and services (Lee et al, 2018), thus making collaborative consumption (CC) possible. CC involves people who coordinate the acquisition and distribution of a resource for a monetary or nonmonetary compensation (Belk, 2014).…”

Sharing is Caring, and Millennials Do Care: Collaborative Consumption through the Eyes of Internet Generation

“…Sheth, Newman and Gross (1991), for instance, identify five dimensions of perceived value, namely: functional, emotional, social, epistemic, and conditional. In the context of the sharing economy, scholars have emphasized the importance of functional/utilitarian, and hedonic value (Bardhi and Eckhardt 2012;Lee et al 2018;Wu, Zeng, and Xie 2017). However, consumers do not only seek the functional/utilitarian and hedonic value of the product/service, but also pursue social value, such as interaction with others and self-fulfillment (Sweeny and Soutar 2011).…”

Peran Internet dalam Meningkatkan Jumlah Pekerja Lepas di Indonesia

“…Sementara itu hasil penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Meutia dan Sumarlin menunjukkan bagaimana pentingnya peran tenaga kerja lepas atau freelancer dalam perusahaan keluarga di sektor informal (Anggrian & Sumarlin, 2016). Dari dua penelitian tersebut serta berbagai penelitian lainnya yang telah banyak dilakukan, jelas terlihat bagaimana perubahan peran freelancer yang keberadaannya makin diperlukan seiring pesatnya perkembangan teknologi internet (Burke, 2011;Kazi, Yusoff, Khan, & Kazi, 2014;Kuhn, 2016;Lee, Chan, Balaji, & Chong, 2018).…”