How to react to a shock? Effects of Airbnb hosts’ choices and market segmentation at the time of Covid-19

2023 | Information & Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Buzzacchi, Luigi; Milone, Francesco Luigi; Paolucci, Emilio; Raguseo, Elisabetta

Abstract: We investigate the way service providers who operate on an online peer-to-peer ( ... Expand

Abstract: We investigate the way service providers who operate on an online peer-to-peer (P2P) platform readapted their marketing choices to face the Covid-19 pandemic. Through an empirical investigation on a large dataset of Airbnb properties in Rome, observed from January 2018 to December 2020, we provide a threefold contribution by investigating how Airbnb hosts reacted to the Covid-19 pandemic shock, in terms of marketing choices, such as price adjustments and flexible cancellation policies; the direct effects of these choices on their economic returns; and how service providers on Airbnb reacted to address the new needs of their customers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings provide useful insights for researchers and practitioners and show that the adoption of combined marketing choices led to more than proportional effects on performances as it allowed Airbnb hosts to exploit profitable market segmentation mechanisms. Collapse

Topics: pandemic Airbnb marketing management price management peer-to-peer model

Methods: econometric modeling descriptive statistic instrumental variables estimation robustness check longitudinal research

Influence of Media Capabilities on Trust in the Sharing Economy

2023 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Harrison, Andrew; Mirsadikov, Akmal; Luu, Truong

Abstract: Media capabilities influence consumers' trust in online exchanges. However, in t ... Expand

Abstract: Media capabilities influence consumers' trust in online exchanges. However, in the sharing economy, where consumers interact with service providers through a platform, conventional models of trust must be revisited. Our research identifies how media synchronicity and anonymity influence the relative importance of institution-based trust in sharing economy exchanges. We collected data from 248 ride-hailing customers and 288 cryptocurrency users to test a moderated mediation model of trust. We find that in the sharing economy media synchronicity and anonymity lead customers to develop trust toward service providers directly and undermine the impact of institutional trust mechanisms. This indicates that in sharing economy exchanges, trust can be built directly with the service provider, or alternatively, indirectly through the platform. Consequently, organizations in the sharing economy can strategically design their systems to engender trust by choosing between (1) emphasizing the platform's reputation or (2) encouraging direct communication between the consumer and service providers. Collapse

Topics: anonymity ride sharing platform sharing platform cryptocurrency systems design

Methods: descriptive statistic statistical hypothesis test conditional process analysis mediation analysis factor analysis

Theories: media synchronicity theory

All that Glitters is not Gold: Understanding the Impacts of Platform Recommendation Algorithm Changes on Complementors in the Sharing Economy

2023 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Tong, Jack; Zhang, Xiaowei; Luo, Xueming; Lin, Zhijie; Li, Jing

Abstract: Sharing platforms often leverage recommendation algorithms to reduce matching c ... Expand

Abstract: Sharing platforms often leverage recommendation algorithms to reduce matching costs and improve buyer satisfaction. However, the economic impacts of different recommendation algorithms on the business operations of complementors remains unclear. This study uses natural quasi-experiments and proprietary data from a homecooked food-sharing platform with two recommendation algorithms: word-of-mouth recommendation (WMR) and botler personalization recommendation (BPR). Results show the WMR negatively affects revenue while BPR has a positive effect. The contrast revenue effects have been attributed to capacity constraints for complementors and matching frictions for consumers. WMR encourages sellers to specialize in high-quality products but limits new product development. BPR promotes innovation to suit diverse customer tastes but may reduce quality. This reflects the exploration-exploitation tradeoff: WMR exploits existing competences, while BPR explores new products to satisfy personal preferences. The authors discuss implications for how to utilize recommendation algorithms and artificial intelligence for the prosperity of sharing economy platforms. Collapse

Topics: sharing platform innovation management service quality word of mouth mobile application

Methods: computational algorithm longitudinal research robustness check machine learning quasi experiment

No matter what the name, we’re all the same? Examining ethnic online discrimination in ridesharing marketplaces

2022 | Electronic Markets | Citations: 0

Authors: Abramova, Olga

Abstract: Sharing marketplaces emerged as the new Holy Grail of value creation by enabling ... Expand

Abstract: Sharing marketplaces emerged as the new Holy Grail of value creation by enabling exchanges between strangers. Identity reveal, encouraged by platforms, cuts both ways: While inducing pre-transaction confidence, it is suspected of backfiring on the information senders with its discriminative potential. This study employs a discrete choice experiment to explore the role of names as signifiers of discriminative peculiarities and the importance of accompanying cues in peer choices of a ridesharing offer. We quantify users’ preferences for quality signals in monetary terms and evidence comparative disadvantage of Middle Eastern descent male names for drivers and co-travelers. It translates into a lower willingness to accept and pay for an offer. Market simulations confirm the robustness of the findings. Further, we discover that females are choosier and include more signifiers of involuntary personal attributes in their decision-making. Price discounts and positive information only partly compensate for the initial disadvantage, and identity concealment is perceived negatively. Collapse

Topics: ride sharing platform sharing platform pseudonymity electronic market mobile application

Methods: simulation experiment discrete choice experiment survey triangulation

Theories: economic theory

To Differentiate Or Not To Differentiate? The Role of Product Characteristics in the Sharing Economy

2022 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Demircan, Muhammed; Schroer, Karsten; Fritze, Martin Paul; Ketter, Wolfgang

Abstract: An important ambiguity in the sharing economy literature concerns the role of p ... Expand

Abstract: An important ambiguity in the sharing economy literature concerns the role of product variety. Do physical product characteristics provide scope for differentiation in a sharing economy context, and if so, under which circumstances? Resolving this ambiguity is important as it can have large operational and strategic implications for sharing economy businesses. We use discrete choice modeling on a unique carsharing dataset and behavioral online experiments to study how users select between product options of varying quality and brand in a shared consumption context. We find that, in general, there is a trend towards utilitarian access-based consumption in which product characteristics and product brand matter less. However, we observe that hedonistic use cases tend to shift preferences significantly toward more premium products. Our results highlight the need for a more nuanced consideration of product differentiation in sharing economy research. Collapse

Topics: sharing platform ride sharing platform product differentiation application programming interface mobile application

Methods: experiment conjoint analysis analysis of covariance quasi experiment qualitativ observational study

Theories: theory of affordance

In whose bed shall I sleep tonight? The impact of transaction-specific versus partner-specific information on pricing on a sharing platform

2022 | Information & Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Engin, Ayşegül; Vetschera, Rudolf

Abstract: Platform providers in the sharing economy such as AirBnB face a trade-off betwee ... Expand

Abstract: Platform providers in the sharing economy such as AirBnB face a trade-off between providing information on the object of the transaction and providing more information about the transaction partner. We view this trade-off from an economic perspective as the choice between complete or relational contracts. Using a global data set of AirBnB listings, we empirically compare the strength of influence of premises-specific versus host-specific in­ formation on pricing on that platform. The results indicate that partner-specific information in fact has only a comparatively weak influence on prices. This sheds critical light on the frequently used argument that in the sharing economy, personal information is essential to establish the necessary trust between transaction partners. We also find that the importance of premises-specific versus partner-specific information varies with the type of premises being rented. Collapse

Topics: Airbnb sharing platform price management website missing data

Methods: regression analysis method robust regression parametric test ANOVA descriptive statistic

Short-Video Marketing in E-commerce: Analyzing and Predicting Consumer Response

2022 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Guo, Yutong; Ban, Chao; Liu, Xiao; Goh, Khim Yong; Peng, Xixian; Yang, Jiang; Li, Xiaobo

Abstract: This study analyzes and predicts consumer viewing response to e-commerce short- ... Expand

Abstract: This study analyzes and predicts consumer viewing response to e-commerce short-videos (ESVs). We first construct a large-scale ESV dataset that contains 23,001 ESVs across 40 product categories. The dataset consists of the consumer response label in terms of average viewing durations and human-annotated ESV content attributes. Using the constructed dataset and mixed-effects model, we find that product description, product demonstration, pleasure, and aesthetics are four key determinants of ESV viewing duration. Furthermore, we design a content-based multimodal-multitask framework to predict consumer viewing response to ESVs. We propose the information distillation module to extract the shared, special, and conflicted information from ESV multimodal features. Additionally, we employ a hierarchical multitask classification module to capture feature-level and label-level dependencies. We conduct extensive experiments to evaluate the prediction performance of our proposed framework. Taken together, our paper provides theoretical and methodological contributions to the IS and relevant literature. Collapse

Topics: electronic commerce marketing management YouTube mobile application advertising management

Methods: experiment regression analysis method computational algorithm BERT ordinary least square

The more we get together, the more we can save? A transaction cost perspective

2022 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 3

Authors: Li, Chia-Ying; Fang, Yu-Hui

Abstract: Although sharing is not a new subject, sharing behavior enabled by peer-to-peer ... Expand

Abstract: Although sharing is not a new subject, sharing behavior enabled by peer-to-peer software technologies is a recent phenomenon. Studies have explored the impact of the sharing economy on consumers by applying the theory of planned behavior, complexity theory, and social exchange theory, but few studies have explored transaction costs in the sharing economy. By integrating network externalities with transaction cost theory, this study ex­ plores transaction costs and their determinants in the context of the sharing economy. Structural equation modeling analysis was conducted on data from 375 users of Airbnb. The findings indicate that personalization of asset specificity and transaction frequency negatively influence transaction costs. Additionally, learning of asset specificity and transaction uncertainty positively affects transaction costs, which in turn influence behavioral intention. Furthermore, perceived complementarity has a direct effect on transaction uncertainty. Finally, the number of users moderates the relationship between transaction costs and behavioral intention. This under­ standing will assist managers in numerous industries impacted by the rapid development of the sharing economy by providing them with strategies for coping with this trend. Collapse

Topics: Airbnb sharing platform network effect behavioral intention asset specificity

Methods: survey statistical hypothesis test data transformation factor analysis descriptive statistic

Theories: transaction cost economics

Collaborative consumption continuance: a mixed-methods analysis of the service quality-loyalty relationship in ride-sharing services

2022 | Electronic Markets | Citations: 0

Authors: Lim, Weng Marc; Gupta, Gaurav; Biswas, Baidyanath; Gupta, Rohit

Abstract: Extant studies in collaborative consumption have theorized service quality as th ... Expand

Abstract: Extant studies in collaborative consumption have theorized service quality as the distinctive perception of customers. Improved service quality can enable customers to positively influence their perception of the service and lead to continued usage in the future. In this context, our study acknowledges that service quality in collaborative consumption deserves further research. We propose that service quality in collaborative consumption can manifest across different touchpoints. We employ the SERVQUAL framework and Expectation Confirmation Theory as theoretical lenses to explore the service quality-loyalty relationship of app-based ride-sharing services. We apply mixed methods in the form of (i) semi-structured interviews, (ii) text mining and topic-modelling of app reviews, and (iii) Partial-least Squares modelling of responses collected from ride-sharing passengers. The main findings from our study are as follows. First, service quality is manifested across three touchpoints: platform, vendor, and co-sharer. Second, customer satisfaction of collaborative consumption is positively influenced by platform reliability, platform responsiveness, vendor competence, vendor empathy, and co-sharer’s empathy. Third, platform assurance has the least impact on customer satisfaction. Fourth, customer satisfaction positively influences the continuance of collaborative consumption in ride-sharing services. Findings from our study contribute to the theory, practice, and future research on collaborative consumption. Collapse

Topics: ride sharing platform service quality customer satisfaction mobile application collaborative consumption

Methods: qualitative interview survey natural language processing partial least squares path modeling topic model

Theories: SERVQUAL expectation confirmation theory stakeholder theory

PRIVACY CALCULUS OF PROVIDERS ON PEER-TO-PEER PLATFORMS: THE EFFECT OF MEDIA RICHNESS ON INFORMATION DISCLOSURE WHEN ADVERTISING ONESELF

2022 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Mehrwald, Pascal

Abstract: ... Expand

Abstract: Collapse

Topics: media richness usability information privacy concern perceived usefulness peer-to-peer model

Methods: experiment survey partial least squares path modeling descriptive statistic structural equation modeling

Theories: media richness theory privacy calculus theory