When interchangeability between providers and users makes a difference: The mediating role of social proximity in collaborative services

Stephanie Nguyen, Mohamed Didi Alaoui and Sylvie Llosa

Journal of Business Research, 2020, vol. 121, issue C, 506-515

Abstract: This article examines the role of interchangeability between service providers and service users in the context of collaborative services (the exchange of services between peers intermediated by an online platform). Based on the construal level theory, our model proposes the influence of interchangeability on trust and, in turn, on intention to participate, through the mediating effect of social proximity. The results of the empirical analysis, an online survey conducted on 222 accommodation rental participants (both hosts and travelers), confirm the mediating role of social proximity. This research extends the literature on collaborative consumption by examining how interchangeability can impact participants’ attitude and behavior. It also contributes to the construal level theory by suggesting a new antecedent (i.e., interchangeability) of social proximity. Managerial implications are discussed and, in particular, it is suggested that platforms encourage their users to experience both sides of the exchange in order to impact positively future participation.

Keywords: Interchangeability; Collaborative services; Sharing economy; Social distance; Trust; Construal level theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:121:y:2020:i:c:p:506-515

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.03.021

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