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16 - The Psychology of Access-Based Consumption

from 2 - Consumer Psychology of Groups and Society

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2023

By
Varala Maraj  and
Fleura Bardhi
Edited by
Cait Lamberton ,
Derek D. Rucker  and
Stephen A. Spiller
Cait Lamberton
Affiliation:
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Derek D. Rucker
Affiliation:
Kellogg School, Northwestern University, Illinois
Stephen A. Spiller
Affiliation:
Anderson School, University of California, Los Angeles
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Summary

Access represents an alternative mode of consumption to ownership that may be market mediated in which no transfer of ownership takes place. We review the last ten years of marketing research on this topic and discuss access as coexisting with ownership on a continuum. Access provides distinct benefits anchored in its temporariness and freedom from the financial, social, and emotional burdens of ownership. Our review highlights individual- as well as firm-level antecedents of access. We identify four key paradoxical consequences of access-based consumption: more consumption/less attachment; “mine”/not “mine”; prosocial/pro-status signaling; and empowerment/exploitation. We conclude with future research agenda.

Keywords

liquid consumptionaccess-based consumptionsharing platformscollaborative consumptionconsumer psychology
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Psychology , pp. 445 - 471
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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