PurposeThe sharing economy is the internet-enabled business model that has changed the way people travel, work and interact. Similar to other internet-enabled settings, trust is of paramount importance for the sharing economy as it leads to continued use and positive word-of-mouth. The main objectives of this research are twofold: (1) to identify the most relevant antecedents of trust in the sharing economy; and (2) to identify which combination of these antecedents allows repurchase intention and positive word-of-mouth to be achieved.Design/methodology/approachThrough revision of trust theories and complementary frameworks, and an analysis of the sharing economy, the authors develop a model of trust for the sharing economy. The authors propose a model assuming that different types of trust will form a limited number of pathways valid for the creation of positive behavioural intentions. The authors use qualitative comparative analysis to empirically assess the proposed model on a sample of 235 sharing economy users.FindingsThe authors find two configurations that jointly suggest the key role of website quality and usability in generating consumer trust. The authors propose that, on the one hand, platforms might focus on creating value-added services and increasing the reliability of the platform brand. On the other hand, platforms can focus on creating good signalling mechanisms and educate their service providers towards reliable behaviour.Originality/valueThe authors build a conceptual model of trust in the sharing economy setting, that considers the feedback loops among the combination of several dimensions. The authors define specific strategies for platforms in the sharing economy that lead to repurchase intention and positive word-of-mouth.

Online secondhand markets have been growing substantially over the last decade and are expected to grow further. In order to effectively promote the growth of online secondhand markets, this paper designs and validates a scale to assess customer perception of the service quality of secondhand products purchased via online platforms. Complementarily, the paper assesses how each of the different dimensions that configure the scale contributes to explaining the fulfillment of customers’ expectations. The scale is defined by 23 items and is arranged in 5 dimensions from the literature on online commerce as well as on the sharing economy. A sample of 200 questionnaires is used for exploratory factor analysis. A second sample of 507 users is used for confirmatory factor analysis. The quality perceived by online customers of secondhand products depends on the quality of the interactions that they have with the website, with the vendor, and with the product. The dimension that contributes the most to customer fulfillment of expectations is product quality. Findings identify the items that contribute the most to quality perception and fulfillment of expectations, facilitating the development of more effective strategies for platform owners and vendors who want to attract and retain customers of secondhand products. Complementarily, these findings are useful to businesses and governments that want to promote a more sustainable economy by reducing consumption of new products and promoting reutilization of existing ones.

PurposeIn the last 15 years, online sales of second-hand products have grown substantially due to changes in the economy, increasing interest in sustainability and the new opportunities offered by the alternative markets. However, little is known about the antecedents of customer retention in this particular online market. To this effect, the aim of this research is to bring new insights about what retains shoppers and creates loyal behaviour in this market by presenting a loyalty model based on expectancy-value theory and building on Olsen's satisfaction-loyalty model.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a survey comprised of 507 respondents who had purchased second-hand products via an online platform during 2020 was used to test the model.FindingsThe results validate both the satisfaction-loyalty model and the mediator role of the fulfilment of expectations between perceived quality and satisfaction. The results also indicate that customer fulfilment of expectations depends only on the perception of product quality. Perceived product quality was also the dimension that most influenced satisfaction, followed by perceived vendor quality. Last, the dimensions that contributed most to loyal behaviour were satisfaction with the vendor and with the website.Originality/valueThe originality of this research lies in the validation of the unique satisfaction-loyalty model for online second-hand purchases. The value of this research is that it adds knowledge about effective strategies for platform owners and sellers to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty in online second-hand markets.