1. By:
Sabine Benoit, Thomas L. Baker, Ruth N. Bolton, Thorsten Gruber, Jay Kandampully
A triadic framework for collaborative
consumption (CC)
Motives, activities and resources & capabilities of actors
Benoit, S./Baker, T./Bolton, R./Gruber, T./Kandampully, J. (2017), A Triadic Framework for Collaborative Consumption: Motives, roles and resources, Journal of Business Research 79, 219-227,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.05.004 1

2. Context of Research
Benoit, S./Baker, T./Bolton, R./Gruber, T./Kandampully, J. (2017), A Triadic Framework for Collaborative Consumption: Motives, roles and resources, Journal of Business
Research 79, 219-227
2
What is collaborative consumption (CC)?
• Consumers access goods and services
• Goods and services are provided by a peer
• Exchange is mediated through a technology platform
Current status:
• Emerging academic literature lacks formal conceptualisation of what
collaborative consumption (CC) is.
Objectives:
• Delineate collaborative consumption from other forms of exchange
• Define actors in terms of motives, activities, resources and capabilities
• Suggest avenues for further research

3. Conceptualising CC
• Triadic, not dyadic, relationship: customer + peer service provider + platform provider
• Only temporary access to good or service – no transfer of ownership
• Mediated through market, not social mechanisms
Main characteristics
3
CC Buying Renting Access Based Services Sharing
Number of actors involved 3 2 2 2 2 or more
Nature of exchange No transfer of
ownership
Transfer of
ownership
No transfer of
ownership
No transfer of
ownership
No transfer of
ownership
Directness of exchange Mediated
through market
mechanisms
Mediated
through market
mechanisms
Mediated
through market
mechanisms
Mediated through
market mechanisms
Mediated
through social
mechanisms
How does CC compare with other forms of economic exchange?
Benoit, S./Baker, T./Bolton, R./Gruber, T./Kandampully, J. (2017), A Triadic Framework for Collaborative Consumption: Motives, roles and resources, Journal of Business
Research 79, 219-227

4. Roles of actors in CC
4
Consumer Peer-service provider Platform provider
Motives
(Why do actors get
involved in CC)
 Economic: reduce costs
 Social: belong to “community”
 Hedonic: access to luxury good
 Reduce risks and responsibilities
(in comparison with ownership)
 Environmental benefits of
“sharing” goods
 Economic: income
from underutilised
asset
 Entrepreneurial
freedom
 Social: get to know
new people
 Economic: making profits
 Create innovative products/React to market trends
 Build beneficial relationships with users
Activities
(What activities do
actors in CC perform)
 Interact with community
 Provide information (profile,
reviews,…)
 Behave (e.g. leave a clean flat)
 Grant access to a good
 Act as main customer
contact
 Offer personalised
service
 Matchmaking: develop technology and algorithms
 Present the brand and its value
 Create trust and reduce risks
 Shape and align social norms (provide “rules of the game”)
 Resources smoothing (matching demand and supply)
Resources and
capabilities
(What skills /
resources are
required)
 Technical skills, i.e. being “tech-
savvy”
 Access to an asset
 Good reputation/
reviews
 Trustworthiness
 Market knowledge
 Good network (of consumers and peer-service providers)
 Power to promote and protect CC
 Stakeholder relations (mobilise people in and outside of the
platform)
Benoit, S./Baker, T./Bolton, R./Gruber, T./Kandampully, J. (2017), A Triadic Framework for Collaborative Consumption: Motives, roles and resources, Journal of Business
Research 79, 219-227

5. Opportunities for future research
5
Platform provider:
o Regulatory framework: employee status, taxes,…
o Success factors: why are some successful, others not?
o Customer service: how to ensure quality?
?
?
?
??
Customer:
o Access: Does CC offer greater access to goods for
lower income groups?
o Motivations: Why might customers prefer CC to
other forms of economic exchange?
o Opinions: How do customers form expectations
and evaluations?
Peer-to-peer service provider:
o Professionalisation: How to make them good brand
ambassador without formal training?
o Work conditions: How do they fit into the welfare
system?, How does CC impact the future of work?
o Evaluation: How to prevent discrimination against
certain demographics of providers?
Triadic ecosystem:
o Service failure: Who recovers for service failure?
o Value: What value is extracted from the relationships
in the triangle by each actor?
o Broader ecosystem perspective: How do norms in
one sector affect norms in another?
Benoit, S./Baker, T./Bolton, R./Gruber, T./Kandampully, J. (2017), A Triadic Framework for Collaborative Consumption: Motives, roles and resources, Journal of Business
Research 79, 219-227