Demand-side constraints affecting consumer attitudes toward digital short-term rental platforms across five European countries: a signaling theory perspective
Purpose: Given the rapid progress in digitalization, the essence of exchange has been reformulated with the help of digital platforms allowing a temporary access of ownership to the global travel industry. Drawing on signaling theory, this study analyzes the demand-side constraints influencing consu...
| Autores: | , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Ramon Llull (URL) |
| Repositorio: | DAU Arxiu Digital de la Universitat Ramon Llull |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dau.url.edu:20.500.14342/5522 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14342/5522 https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-10-2024-0432 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Digital short-term rentals Distrust Consumer attitude Perceived risk Signaling theory Cross-country analysis Serveis de reserves Consumidors--Conducta Percepció del risc Teoria de senyals Unió Europea, Països de la 159.9 36 |
| Sumario: | Purpose: Given the rapid progress in digitalization, the essence of exchange has been reformulated with the help of digital platforms allowing a temporary access of ownership to the global travel industry. Drawing on signaling theory, this study analyzes the demand-side constraints influencing consumers’ attitudes toward digital short-term rental platforms through a cross-country analysis. | Design/methodology/approach: This study performs a cross-country segmentation analysis in five European countries (i.e. UK, Croatia, Italy, Turkey and Spain) by using survey data from 534 consumers and structural equation models. | Findings: The findings indicate that perceived risk and lack of service quality exert a significant influence on consumers’ attitudes, with distrust serving as a mediation mechanism. Digital short-term rental platform managers, hosts and policymakers should collaboratively implement trust-building strategies, including fostering third-party quality certifications, enhancing cancellation flexibility and ensuring the provision of transparent information with an intent to mitigate perceived risk and reduce distrust. | Originality/value: This study provides a timely contribution to the reshaping of consumer behavior and stimulates a discussion regarding the underexplored attitudes of customers who have not previously used digital short-term rental platforms and their important demand constraints, putting an emphasis on the signals with a dark side which could be interpreted differently from country to country. |
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