Table 1 Summary of selected studies on...

Table 1

Summary of selected studies on access-based services (ABS)

Author(s) (year)	Purpose of study	Key findings	Research approach	Empirical context	Focus
Akbar (2019)	To investigate factors for customers’ likelihood to use ABS	The perceived risk of product scarcity is a key influencing factor in addition to costs, sources of utility, substitutability, and knowledge	Survey (N = 384)	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Bardhi et al. (2012)	To investigate consumers’ relationships with possessions in the context of contemporary global nomadism	Relationships with possessions are temporary and situational; possessions are valued for their instrumental use-value and their immaterial attributes	Interviews (N = 16)	N/A	Ownership/possession
Christoforou et al. (2021)	To understand more about e-scooter users and their usage patterns	Users rarely own their e-scooter. Most are men aged 18–29 with a high education level	Survey (N = 459)	E-scooter	Access/sharing
Fritze et al. (2020)	To investigate the impact of psychological ownership on customers’ need for product ownership	Mediating variables, such as usage and substitutive value, relate positively with material ownership reduction	3 surveys (N = 497, N = 857, and N = 196)	Carsharing and music streaming	Access/sharing
Guo et al. (2024)	Examines the effects of acquisition mode on self-perception of status	Accessing a product that others own results in lower self-attributed social status, particularly for consumers who view ownership as integral to their identity	Multiple randomized, experiments that tested the effects of access vs. ownership	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Hazée et al. (2019)	To test the notion of contamination barriers among users of ABS	Influencing factors include interpersonal familiarity, product–body proximity, and brand equity	Experiments	N/A	Access/sharing
Kleinaltenkamp et al. (2018)	To investigate effects of perceived psychological ownership among carsharing users	Psychological ownership positively influences value in use	Survey (N = 152)	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Lawson et al. (2016)	To find the motivating factors for users’ engagement in ABS	Potential users are classified into four groups: fickle floaters, premium keepers, conscious materialists, and change seekers	Survey (N = 220)	N/A	Access/sharing
Khalek and Chakraborty (2025)	To understand reasons why consumers may reject ABS	Short-term Vs long-term cues have a major impact on how ABS are perceived by consumers	Experiments Survey (N = 417)	Carsharing	Access and ownership
Lawson et al. (2021)	To examine the consumer decision-making process for product access	Ownership commitment is found to be positively influential for customers seeking ABS.	23 interviews and Survey (N = 440)	N/A	Access/sharing
Lehr et al. (2020)	To find out the impact of unintended product trials through ABS on users’ attitudes and behavioral intentions	Unintended trials generally have positive spillover effects on attitude and behavioral intentions toward the brand	Survey (N = 265)	Carsharing	Access and ownership
Liu et al. (2024b)	Investigate the impact of ownership versus access on consumers’ energy conservation behaviors	Consumers demonstrate reduced energy conservation behaviors and intentions when using accessed vehicles compared to owned vehicles, primarily due to lower psychological ownership and perceived responsibility associated with accessed vehicles	2 surveys (N = 296, N = 219)	Car rental, Carsharing	Access/sharing
Moeller and Wittkowski (2010)	To identify drivers of preference of access in comparison to ownership	The importance of possession, convenience orientation, and trend orientation are significant drivers for preference of non-ownership	Survey (N = 461)	Clothing	Access and ownership
Möhlmann (2015)	To identify the drivers of and barriers to ABS	Cost savings, familiarity, service quality, trust, and utility have a positive effect on satisfaction with ABS.	2 surveys (N = 236 and N = 187)	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Morewedge et al. (2021)	To understand how shifts in consumption—from ownership to access, and from material to experiential goods—impact psychological ownership of goods and services	Technological innovations are transforming consumption patterns by shifting from ownership of private goods to access to goods and services owned by others, and from material goods to experiential goods. Experiential goods foster greater self-identification compared to material goods	Conceptual study	N/A	Access/sharing
Munten et al. (2024)	To examine direct and indirect negative rebound effects, as well as sustainability challenges, caused by users of ABS	The assumption that ABS always lead to positive behavioral changes is questioned since ABS tends to encourage increased consumption	Interviews (N = 31) Survey (N = 449)	Clothing rental	Access/rental
Nikiforiadis et al. (2021)	To understand individuals’ attitudes and behavior toward e-scooter rental	E-scooters attract more males than females. People living far from city centers are not frequent renters	Survey (N = 578)	E-scooter	Access/sharing
Rosenberg et al. (2023)	To highlight the coexistence of liquid and solid consumption through an exploration of subscription-based clothing libraries	Changes in consumer desires significantly influence whether consumers choose to liquify or solidify their consumption over time	Interviews (N = 24)	Clothing subscription	Access and ownership
Schaefers et al. (2016a)	To analyze how consumers’ perceived risk of product ownership affects their adoption of ABS and subsequent decision to reduce ownership	The ownership risks identified are financial risk, performance risk, and social risk	Survey (N = 776) and usage data	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Schaefers et al. (2016b)	To investigate the contagious effects of customer misbehavior in ABS	Customer misbehavior is contagious and is more common in anonymous settings, as in the case of ABS.	Experiments (two scenario-based studies and one field study)	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Wei et al. (2022)	To test the impact of brand attachment on the adoption of ABS	Customers attached to a brand are more likely to purchase products than utilize them through ABS.	3 surveys (N = 123, N = 73, and N = 186)	Clothing, Carsharing	Access/sharing
This study	To explore the dynamics of product access and ownership in a context in which access-based services are dominant compared to product ownership	Customers satisfied with ABS also consider acquiring the accessed product due to high usership and ownership advantage perception	Survey (N = 430)	E-scooter	Access and ownership

Author(s) (year)	Purpose of study	Key findings	Research approach	Empirical context	Focus
Akbar (2019)	To investigate factors for customers’ likelihood to use ABS	The perceived risk of product scarcity is a key influencing factor in addition to costs, sources of utility, substitutability, and knowledge	Survey (N = 384)	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Bardhi et al. (2012)	To investigate consumers’ relationships with possessions in the context of contemporary global nomadism	Relationships with possessions are temporary and situational; possessions are valued for their instrumental use-value and their immaterial attributes	Interviews (N = 16)	N/A	Ownership/possession
Christoforou et al. (2021)	To understand more about e-scooter users and their usage patterns	Users rarely own their e-scooter. Most are men aged 18–29 with a high education level	Survey (N = 459)	E-scooter	Access/sharing
Fritze et al. (2020)	To investigate the impact of psychological ownership on customers’ need for product ownership	Mediating variables, such as usage and substitutive value, relate positively with material ownership reduction	3 surveys (N = 497, N = 857, and N = 196)	Carsharing and music streaming	Access/sharing
Guo et al. (2024)	Examines the effects of acquisition mode on self-perception of status	Accessing a product that others own results in lower self-attributed social status, particularly for consumers who view ownership as integral to their identity	Multiple randomized, experiments that tested the effects of access vs. ownership	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Hazée et al. (2019)	To test the notion of contamination barriers among users of ABS	Influencing factors include interpersonal familiarity, product–body proximity, and brand equity	Experiments	N/A	Access/sharing
Kleinaltenkamp et al. (2018)	To investigate effects of perceived psychological ownership among carsharing users	Psychological ownership positively influences value in use	Survey (N = 152)	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Lawson et al. (2016)	To find the motivating factors for users’ engagement in ABS	Potential users are classified into four groups: fickle floaters, premium keepers, conscious materialists, and change seekers	Survey (N = 220)	N/A	Access/sharing
Khalek and Chakraborty (2025)	To understand reasons why consumers may reject ABS	Short-term Vs long-term cues have a major impact on how ABS are perceived by consumers	ExperimentsSurvey (N = 417)	Carsharing	Access and ownership
Lawson et al. (2021)	To examine the consumer decision-making process for product access	Ownership commitment is found to be positively influential for customers seeking ABS.	23 interviews and Survey (N = 440)	N/A	Access/sharing
Lehr et al. (2020)	To find out the impact of unintended product trials through ABS on users’ attitudes and behavioral intentions	Unintended trials generally have positive spillover effects on attitude and behavioral intentions toward the brand	Survey (N = 265)	Carsharing	Access and ownership
Liu et al. (2024b)	Investigate the impact of ownership versus access on consumers’ energy conservation behaviors	Consumers demonstrate reduced energy conservation behaviors and intentions when using accessed vehicles compared to owned vehicles, primarily due to lower psychological ownership and perceived responsibility associated with accessed vehicles	2 surveys (N = 296, N = 219)	Car rental, Carsharing	Access/sharing
Moeller and Wittkowski (2010)	To identify drivers of preference of access in comparison to ownership	The importance of possession, convenience orientation, and trend orientation are significant drivers for preference of non-ownership	Survey (N = 461)	Clothing	Access and ownership
Möhlmann (2015)	To identify the drivers of and barriers to ABS	Cost savings, familiarity, service quality, trust, and utility have a positive effect on satisfaction with ABS.	2 surveys (N = 236 and N = 187)	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Morewedge et al. (2021)	To understand how shifts in consumption—from ownership to access, and from material to experiential goods—impact psychological ownership of goods and services	Technological innovations are transforming consumption patterns by shifting from ownership of private goods to access to goods and services owned by others, and from material goods to experiential goods. Experiential goods foster greater self-identification compared to material goods	Conceptual study	N/A	Access/sharing
Munten et al. (2024)	To examine direct and indirect negative rebound effects, as well as sustainability challenges, caused by users of ABS	The assumption that ABS always lead to positive behavioral changes is questioned since ABS tends to encourage increased consumption	Interviews (N = 31)Survey (N = 449)	Clothing rental	Access/rental
Nikiforiadis et al. (2021)	To understand individuals’ attitudes and behavior toward e-scooter rental	E-scooters attract more males than females. People living far from city centers are not frequent renters	Survey (N = 578)	E-scooter	Access/sharing
Rosenberg et al. (2023)	To highlight the coexistence of liquid and solid consumption through an exploration of subscription-based clothing libraries	Changes in consumer desires significantly influence whether consumers choose to liquify or solidify their consumption over time	Interviews (N = 24)	Clothing subscription	Access and ownership
Schaefers et al. (2016a)	To analyze how consumers’ perceived risk of product ownership affects their adoption of ABS and subsequent decision to reduce ownership	The ownership risks identified are financial risk, performance risk, and social risk	Survey (N = 776) and usage data	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Schaefers et al. (2016b)	To investigate the contagious effects of customer misbehavior in ABS	Customer misbehavior is contagious and is more common in anonymous settings, as in the case of ABS.	Experiments (two scenario-based studies and one field study)	Carsharing	Access/sharing
Wei et al. (2022)	To test the impact of brand attachment on the adoption of ABS	Customers attached to a brand are more likely to purchase products than utilize them through ABS.	3 surveys (N = 123, N = 73, and N = 186)	Clothing, Carsharing	Access/sharing
This study	To explore the dynamics of product access and ownership in a context in which access-based services are dominant compared to product ownership	Customers satisfied with ABS also consider acquiring the accessed product due to high usership and ownership advantage perception	Survey (N = 430)	E-scooter	Access and ownership

Source(s): The above table was created by the authors

[ViewLarge]

Sharing Unavailable