The impact of the perceived value of the sharing economy on consumer usage behavior: evidence from shared mobility in China

Abstract

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution era, the sharing economy has brought a new way of social value creation. However, the impact of COVID-19 in recent years has hampered shared consumption practices but also generated new service directions based on changing market demand. To explore the motivation and behavior of people participating in the sharing economy in the current social context in detail, we empirically examined the impact of consumers' perception of shared mobility on their continuance and normative use behavior via community identification through surveyed online/offline 585 Chinese frequent users of shared mobility. Our study shows that the perception of usefulness, ease of use, and social benefits positively affect consumer behavior through community identification, with innovative consumers and role models acting as positive moderators. The results of our study have implications for how enterprises in the COVID-19 pandemic can take advantage of the sharing economy's optimal allocation of idle resources to integrate new service sections for improved service quality. It also provides a reference for enterprises' responses to public health emergencies.