How emotional attachment influences lender participation in consumer-to-consumer rental platforms

Antje R.H. Graul, Aaron R. Brough and Mathew S. Isaac

Journal of Business Research, 2022, vol. 139, issue C, 1211-1217

Abstract: Given the proliferation of consumer-to-consumer (C2C) rental platforms, it is important to understand the motivations of stakeholders to participate in these platforms. The viability of online C2C platforms depends on the willingness of lenders to list their possessions for rent. We suggest that psychological mechanisms related to emotional attachment may underlie this decision. Specifically, we show that emotional attachment predicts lenders’ concerns about property preservation, such that higher levels of attachment will be associated with a relatively stronger preference for policies focused on product protection (i.e., policies that provide assurance that the product will not be damaged) versus financial guarantees (i.e., policies that provide financial restitution in the event of product damage). Our results extend prior literature by providing insights into how emotional attachment influences lenders’ participation in C2C rental platforms. These findings further highlight practical interventions that platforms might use to increase lender participation. Our work informs practitioners about motivational and behavioral psychological phenomena underlying the emerging C2C business model.

Keywords: emotional attachment; motivation; consumer-to-consumer; rental platform; collaborative consumption; sharing economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:139:y:2022:i:c:p:1211-1217

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.10.064

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