Towards sustainable consumption patterns : A market feasibility study for a peer-to-peer sharing platform at KTH

Sammanfattning: Peer-to-peer sharing platforms appear as a valid option to stop excessive consumerism. The success of a peer-to-peer sharing platform at Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan university mostly depends on the capability to comprehend the potential users’ motives for engagement. To investigate the relative significance of consumer motives for and against this platform, a theoretical model based on a comprehensive set of potential consumer motives was developed. The model was validated by employing a survey of325 participants. Findings suggest ecological sustainability, sense of belonging, trust in other users, and familiarity as the four most important drivers and prerequisites of platform attitude and process risk concerns as the main barrier. Moreover, attitude shows the most significant effect on behavioral intention and is slightly influenced by reasons of age, gender, type of participant, and school to which the participant belongs. Services in general and study materials appear as the items with the highest number of potential consumers and suppliers; while the free system proves to be the preferred system. Based on the findings, recommendations for future research and implementation of the peer-to-peer platform are suggested.