Introduction and Background
The growth of the internet has resulted in a revolution in business models. Since the emergence of the World Wide Web, many business structures now comprise mobile, electronic, and social elements (Puschmann and Alt, 2016, p. 93). The consumption behaviours have also changed and new trends and concepts such as sharing economy have emerged. The sharing economy is different from the traditional economy because it is based on sharing and using services and products among consumers. Many terminologies have been associated with this emergent phenomenon, including gig economy, platform capitalism, collaborative consumption, and peer-to-peer economy among others (Acquier, Daudigeos, and Pinkse, 2017, pp. 1-2; Zhu, So, and Hudson, 2017, p. 2219; Frenken and Schor, 2019, p. 122). The marketing function has also been thoroughly revolutionised by the sharing economy majorly because marketers have to keep up with their customers. The implications for marketing and have been extensively studied, some researchers claim the drawn conclusions remain unclear (Eckhardt et al., 2019, p. 1). Considering the effect of such a massive change in consumer behaviour, further research into the subject is needed where the future of the economy is assessed.
One of the critical concerns for marketers is customer satisfaction with the services and products offered in the sharing economy. Airbnb is one of the most popular brands in the peer-to-peer economy, specifically in the hospitality industry and accommodation sector (Lalicic and Weismayer, 2018, p. 80). Several case studies on consumer behaviour among the users of Airbnb have been published. The focus of the proposed research is to explore the development of the sharia economy from the perspective of consumer satisfaction and using Airbnb in Singapore as the case study. To accomplish this study, the key questions should be answered, including why consumers of Airbnb want to consume the services again and why they remain loyal. Additionally, the question of what their levels of satisfaction are with the various characteristics of Airbnb needs to be explored.
Literature Review
Airbnb has been extensively studied because of its popularity and the hype around the sharing economy. However, it is important to acknowledge that not all studies focus exclusively on consumer satisfaction. Additionally, it can also be argued that many concepts can be used to highlight or insinuate how happy consumers are with the company. The focus of this literature review is to acknowledge what has been done so far and to chart the course for the proposed research. Much of the literature explores the experiences of the users. For example, Sthapit (2018, p. 3) finds that value co-destruction has been a feature of Airbnb because of poor customer service. The concept of value co-creation is used in instances where stakeholders in a transaction mutually create scenarios that benefit all involved. Value co-destruction is the reverse situation arising from failed attempts in value co-creation. Therefore, Sthapit (2018, p. 3) can be viewed as one of those researchers finding some consumers dissatisfied with the services of Airbnb.
Poor customer service has emerged as a common theme among some researchers. In addition to the findings of Sthapit (2018, p. 3), other scholars find that Airbnb customer service is poor. The result has been the creation of distrust towards the company (Sthapit and Björk, 2019, p. 245; Sthapit and Bjørk, 2020, p. 1; Sthapit, Björk, and Barreto, 2020, p. 1; Ahmed, Ragheb, and Tantawi, 2020, p. 189). Other scholars have focused on the antecedents of customer experience and satisfaction. For example, Liang, Choi, and Joppe, (2018, p. 41) find that transaction-based satisfaction affected experience-based satisfaction. Such results indicate that the transactional value of the Airbnb services has a direct influence on consumer experiences and, hence, customer satisfaction. According to Lee and Kim (2018, p. 1346), satisfaction with services and customer engagement at Airbnb was influenced differently by the utilitarian and hedonic value of the services. Therefore, it is evident that Airbnb has been the subject of scrutiny from scholars.
Some studies presented contrasting results regarding customer experiences and satisfaction with Airbnb. For example, Li, Hudson, and So, 2019, p. 410) find that home benefits, authenticity, personalised services, and social connections are the major dimensions that influence both consumer experience and future purchase intentions. Additionally, Mao and Lyu (2017) have established that there are certain aspects, including unique expectation and familiarity have a positive influence on repurchase intentions among Airbnb customers. With such conflicting views, it is important to explore the concept further to reach better conclusions. The rationale is that the sharing economy continues to grow as businesses perceive is as a strategic platform for profitability (Altinay and Taheri, 2018, p. 180). The trends in consumer behaviour such as the preference for sharing over ownership can be viewed as the key driving forces behind the sharing economy.
Most importantly, the sharing economy is quickly spreading globally and most countries are already embracing it. Airbnb has become a global brand, which has been facilitated by the internet and social media. However, demographic differences across the countries, as well as varied business environments, means that each market could behave differently in terms of the adoption of sharing economy. The case of Singapore has not been explored, which adds to the research gaps that need to be filled.
Methods
The research on customer satisfaction with the sharing economy will be a quantitative study. The rationale is that the key variable, customer satisfaction, can be quantified. The scientific nature of quantitative studies makes them more credible. Appropriate measures of satisfaction with Airbnb services will be developed. Currently, the COVID-19 has made movements difficult and restricted. Therefore, the main mode of data collection will be surveys, which can be conducted online. A sample of 500 current and former users of Airbnb services in Singapore will be used as a representative of the population. Since the population has been specified, random sampling can be used, which will have the effect of eliminating researcher bias.
Several quantitative data analysis approaches will also be deployed in proposed study. First, descriptive statistics will highlight the demographic profile of the respondents. Additionally, descriptive statistics will be used to express the levels of satisfaction with Airbnb among the respondents. There are several antecedents of consumer satisfaction that will be included in the data collection. Therefore, further statistical analysis will include the use of regression and correlation analysis to establish the relationship between the variables. In regression analysis, the relationship between the independent and dependent variable is examined. Correlation analysis focuses on all the variables, meaning relationships between the antecedent variables can also be explored. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) will be used to undertake these statistical analyses.
Reference List
Acquier, A., Daudigeos, T. and Pinkse, J. (2017) ‘Promises and paradoxes of the sharing economy: an organizing framework’, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 125, pp. 1-10.
Ahmed, G., Ragheb, M. and Tantawi, I. (2020) ‘Motives and barriers of Airbnb users: Findings from mixed-methods approach’, The Business and Management Review, 11(1), pp. 186-198.
Altinay, L. and Taheri, B. (2018) ‘Emerging themes and theories in the sharing economy: a critical note for hospitality and tourism’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(4), pp. 180-193.
Eckhardt, G. et al. (2019) ‘Marketing in the sharing economy’, Journal of Marketing, 83(5), pp. 1-23.
Frenken, K. and Schor, J. (2019) ‘Putting the sharing economy into perspective, in O. Mont (Ed.). A research agenda for Sustainable Consumption Governance. Lund: Elgar Research, pp. 121-135.
Lalicic, L. and Weismayer, C. (2018) ‘A model of tourists’ loyalty: the case of Airbnb’, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 9(1), pp. 80-93.
Lee, S. and Kim, D. (2018) ‘The effect of hedonic and utilitarian values on satisfaction and loyalty of Airbnb users’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(3), pp. 1332-1351.
Liang, L., Choi, H. and Joppe, M. (2018) ‘Exploring the relationship between satisfaction, trust and switching intention, repurchase intention in the context of Airbnb’, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 69, pp. 41-48.
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Sthapit, E. and Björk, P. (2019) ‘Sources of distrust: Airbnb guests’ perspectives’, Tourism Management Perspectives, 31, pp. 245-253.
Sthapit, E. and Bjørk, P. (2020) ‘Interactive value formation: drivers and outcomes from Airbnb guests’ perspectives’, Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, pp. 1-19.
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