Consumer Attitude and Behavioral Intention toward Collaborative Consumption of Shared Services

The emerging market model of collaborative consumption, where underused resources can be collaboratively shared between consumers, is proving to be an increasingly profitable commercial business concept encouraging traditional non-sharing firms to seek models of shared access for their consumers. In terms of consumption reduction, however, the concept has seen slower uptake among consumers. For example, despite the promotion of car sharing and public transportation solutions, cities around the world report increasing car use and an increasing concentration of businesses in urban areas demanding parking spaces. Where it is known that private vehicle use in urban centers persists, this study explores consumer attitude and behavioral intention toward collaborative consumption of shared services, in the context of personal transport and the built, inner-city environment. The study reports survey data gathered from self-driving employees of businesses located in congested urban areas. Six motivational determinants of collaborative consumption and how they influence attitude and intention toward two different shared parking scenarios were explored using regression analysis. In this study, shared carparks are treated as an incremental step toward shifting more stubborn user perceptions of access over ownership in urban transport, as well as a solution to one aspect of the problems associated with increased urban density and underused land resources. Overall, the study finds a strong relationship between perceptions of ownership and risk reduction, with access models that protect a “primary” user, and allow for user flexibility, preferred by respondents. This offers clear guidelines for the development of successful shared space options in the parking context but can also be extended to other sharing service solutions.