Why We Share: Exploring Factors That Affect Intention-to-Use a Goods-Sharing Platform. The perspective of the provider

Abstract

The Sharing Economy (SE) is an intriguing concept that provides a unique model in which people can not only utilise the services but also provide services to others. Literature showed that factors including trust, economic benefit and social benefit can motivate the consumer to participate in a sharing platform. However, research on understanding the factors that influence the Intention-to-Use a sharing platform as provider is limited. Moreover, most existing studies have primarily focused on successful platforms such as Uber and Airbnb, leaving many other sectors and platforms like goods-sharing platform Peerby understudied. Consequently, there is a lack of clarity regarding the motivations and less successful platforms. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to research the motivations that influence a providers’ intention to use a sharing platform. Specifically, the research question studied is: “What factors influence the providers’ intention to use a goods-sharing platform?”. This study adopts a provider’s perspective for all the fifteen factors studied. A conceptual model was built on a meta-analysis of 152 input studies, and hypotheses derived by the model were tested through a survey, resulting in a sample of 274 respondents. The findings were analysed with a Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that individuals were most motivated by Perceived Emotional Value to use a goods-sharing platform, indicating that individuals that perceive enjoyment of providing goods. Moreover, other factors enhancing intention-to-use a goods-sharing platform were Perceived Usefulness, Social Norm, and Familiarity. This study contributes to our understanding of the motivations that influence a providers’ intention to use a goods-sharing platform. Moreover, it provides insights to platform operators which motivations are important for less successful platforms. Finally, this study provides suggestions for future research to increase studies and improve our understanding of the providers perspective and goods-sharing platforms.