Authors
Saif Benjaafar, Guangwen Kong, Xiang Li, Costas Courcoubetis
Publication date
2019/2
Journal
Management Science
Volume
65
Issue
2
Pages
477-493
Publisher
INFORMS
Description
We describe an equilibrium model of peer-to-peer product sharing, or collaborative consumption, where individuals with varying usage levels make decisions about whether or not to own a homogeneous product. Owners are able to generate income from renting their products to nonowners while nonowners are able to access these products through renting on an as-needed basis. We characterize equilibrium outcomes, including ownership and usage levels, consumer surplus, and social welfare. We compare each outcome in systems with and without collaborative consumption and examine the impact of various problem parameters. Our findings indicate that collaborative consumption can result in either lower or higher ownership and usage levels, with higher ownership and usage levels more likely when the cost of ownership is high. Our findings also indicate that consumers always benefit from collaborative …
Total citations
2018201920202021202220232024266890967310043