Table III Potential further research...

Table III

Potential further research questions

Future research topics	Research questions
Platform business models
Other types of access-based platforms	What are the key differences between P2P, access-based sharing platforms that were discussed in this paper and access-based sharing platforms that rely on marketer-supplied assets (e.g. Zipcar) in terms of value creation, network effects, ecosystem dynamics and competitive advantage?
Capacity-constrained vs unconstrained assets	The sharing of supply-constrained assets (e.g. cars, rooms and scooters) is fundamentally different from sharing capacity-unconstrained assets (e.g. media content). What are the implications for revenue models, platform growth, network effects and ecosystem dynamics when sharing platforms do not have capacity constraints?
Convergence of business models	How does the convergence of business models (i.e. pipeline businesses adding platform components and platform businesses adding pipeline components) impact value creation, value capture, and the optimal assets mix provided by the platform owner/pipeline business and by a platform’s peer providers?
Platform governance
Governance mechanisms	What is the relative effectiveness of different types of institutional, community-based and legal governance mechanisms and incentives for creating ecosystem value and preventing user disintermediation?
Broader ecosystem	How are norms developed within a sharing platform also driven by other, related ecosystems (e.g. how do norms operative in a ride-sharing ecosystem influence those in a room sharing ecosystem; Benoit et al., 2017)?
Consumer behavior
Search friction	What drives search friction for providers and users of platforms? How can search friction be mitigated, especially related to choice overload and over-communication (Chen et al., 2018)? How effective are decision aids that help users to filter, sort, compare and rank options? How effective are customized search tools and recommendation systems that cater to individuals’ preferences? Can service robots or chat bots be developed to take on communications and decision making for both service provides and customers (cf. Wirtz et al., 2018)? How can stakeholders be motivated to allow such robots to transact on their behalf and thereby significantly reduce search friction? How can feedback and rating system be designed to reduce friction caused by information asymmetry? How can the matching process be made more effective, including offering more instantaneous booking functions and limiting the number of options presented to travelers through a more refined search? What is the role in risk reduction and decision confidence of allowing users to challenge payment due to unsatisfactory service?
Consumer expectations	Are there fundamental differences in how consumers form expectations about service providers on sharing platforms vs traditional incumbent providers (Benoit et al., 2017)?
Reviews and ratings	What are the consequences of a mutual rating system (i.e. the ability of consumers (e.g. Uber riders) to rate service providers (e.g. drivers) and vice versa (e.g. quality assurance vs strategic behaviors for both actors such as inflating review ratings)? How can providers and users be encouraged to provide more, more accurate and more detailed reviews? How can rating inflation be reduced (cf. Fradkin et al., 2018; Pera et al., 2019)? How can negative reviews be made less costly such as through reduced risk of retaliation and harassment (Tadelis, 2016)? How effective are controlled anonymity schemes (i.e. the platform conceals the identities of the raters but knows their identity and monitors their ratings; Dellarocas, 2000) and analytics (e.g. use analytics to correct biases to estimate unbiased rating estimates; Dellarocas and Wood, 2008)? How can “bought” or outright fake reviews be reduced? Overall, how can the gap between rating and reality be minimized (Masum and Zhang, 2004)?
Trust building	How does the trust-building process between consumers and providers evolve over time at different stages of the consumer journey (which can involve both online and in-person components)? How can trust be built with the platform and between players in a platform’s ecosystem (Chen et al., 2009)? How do trust in the platform and trust in peers interact with each other? Can blockchain technology offer a powerful alternative to verify and authenticate the true identify of parties, ensure traceable recording of transactions and in the process build trust? Will the parties on a platform feel more secure if their transactions are secured by blockchain technology (Chen et al., 2018)?
Platform communities	How can stakeholders be motivated to engage in platform brand communities that provide information, support and other value-add (cf. Wirtz et al., 2013)
Transformative experience	In what ways does exchange on sharing economy platforms become transformative and self-expansive (extended self; Belk, 2013) beyond creating experiential, hedonic and social values?
Service failure and recovery	What is the attribution process in the event of service failure and recovery? That is, which party do consumers blame – the platform, provider or complementor – and who do they expect provide recovery and in what form?
Role of brand	How does branding of platforms differ from branding pipeline businesses (e.g. promoting differentiation in the case of pipeline models vs signaling trust, reducing risk perceptions with platforms)? How can brands be developed to be multi-sided whereby branding to service providers, consumers and complementors offer different value propositions? How can service providers differentiate themselves from others on the same platform (Benoit et al., 2017)?
Service providers as brand ambassadors	How can peer service providers be motivated to act as brand ambassadors with little or no formal training (Benoit et al., 2017)?
Platform loyalty	What causes consumers to be on more than one competing platform (e.g. multi-homing on Uber and Lyft), and what are the consequences on their switching behavior, loyalty, emotional connection and bargaining power with their platform providers? How can platforms build loyalty, engagement and related behaviors through evangelizing, milestoning, badging and documenting (Perren and Kozinets, 2018)? How can soft and hard incentives that are used widely in generic loyalty programs be adapted to encourage increased transactions on a platform? How effective are loyalty program-induced switching costs and incentives in driving platform loyalty (Chen et al., 2018)?
Price setting	What are the benefits and costs of sharing platforms allowing providers and/or users to set prices (e.g. Uber sets prices on their platform, whereas Airbnb lets service providers decide on the pricing; Chen et al., 2018)?
Regulation and society
Low-income consumers	What economic and societal implications do sharing platforms have for low-income consumers who are likely to gain access to services at a lower price (Benoit et al., 2017)?
Sustainability and labor market	What quantifiable impact have sharing platforms made on sustainability (e.g. reduced resource uses) and labor markets (e.g. stimulating employment)?
Regulation	How can regulators better facilitate the integration of sharing platforms and traditional service providers into existing regulatory systems (Cohen and Kietzmann, 2014)?
Cultural/societal differences	What cultural and societal differences play a role in the adoption, regulation and governance of sharing platforms in different countries and cultures?

Future research topics	Research questions
Platform business models
Other types of access-based platforms	What are the key differences between P2P, access-based sharing platforms that were discussed in this paper and access-based sharing platforms that rely on marketer-supplied assets (e.g. Zipcar) in terms of value creation, network effects, ecosystem dynamics and competitive advantage?
Capacity-constrained vs unconstrained assets	The sharing of supply-constrained assets (e.g. cars, rooms and scooters) is fundamentally different from sharing capacity-unconstrained assets (e.g. media content). What are the implications for revenue models, platform growth, network effects and ecosystem dynamics when sharing platforms do not have capacity constraints?
Convergence of business models	How does the convergence of business models (i.e. pipeline businesses adding platform components and platform businesses adding pipeline components) impact value creation, value capture, and the optimal assets mix provided by the platform owner/pipeline business and by a platform’s peer providers?
Platform governance
Governance mechanisms	What is the relative effectiveness of different types of institutional, community-based and legal governance mechanisms and incentives for creating ecosystem value and preventing user disintermediation?
Broader ecosystem	How are norms developed within a sharing platform also driven by other, related ecosystems (e.g. how do norms operative in a ride-sharing ecosystem influence those in a room sharing ecosystem; Benoit et al., 2017)?
Consumer behavior
Search friction	What drives search friction for providers and users of platforms? How can search friction be mitigated, especially related to choice overload and over-communication (Chen et al., 2018)? How effective are decision aids that help users to filter, sort, compare and rank options? How effective are customized search tools and recommendation systems that cater to individuals’ preferences?Can service robots or chat bots be developed to take on communications and decision making for both service provides and customers (cf. Wirtz et al., 2018)? How can stakeholders be motivated to allow such robots to transact on their behalf and thereby significantly reduce search friction?How can feedback and rating system be designed to reduce friction caused by information asymmetry?How can the matching process be made more effective, including offering more instantaneous booking functions and limiting the number of options presented to travelers through a more refined search?What is the role in risk reduction and decision confidence of allowing users to challenge payment due to unsatisfactory service?
Consumer expectations	Are there fundamental differences in how consumers form expectations about service providers on sharing platforms vs traditional incumbent providers (Benoit et al., 2017)?
Reviews and ratings	What are the consequences of a mutual rating system (i.e. the ability of consumers (e.g. Uber riders) to rate service providers (e.g. drivers) and vice versa (e.g. quality assurance vs strategic behaviors for both actors such as inflating review ratings)?How can providers and users be encouraged to provide more, more accurate and more detailed reviews? How can rating inflation be reduced (cf. Fradkin et al., 2018; Pera et al., 2019)?How can negative reviews be made less costly such as through reduced risk of retaliation and harassment (Tadelis, 2016)? How effective are controlled anonymity schemes (i.e. the platform conceals the identities of the raters but knows their identity and monitors their ratings; Dellarocas, 2000) and analytics (e.g. use analytics to correct biases to estimate unbiased rating estimates; Dellarocas and Wood, 2008)?How can “bought” or outright fake reviews be reduced?Overall, how can the gap between rating and reality be minimized (Masum and Zhang, 2004)?
Trust building	How does the trust-building process between consumers and providers evolve over time at different stages of the consumer journey (which can involve both online and in-person components)?How can trust be built with the platform and between players in a platform’s ecosystem (Chen et al., 2009)? How do trust in the platform and trust in peers interact with each other?Can blockchain technology offer a powerful alternative to verify and authenticate the true identify of parties, ensure traceable recording of transactions and in the process build trust? Will the parties on a platform feel more secure if their transactions are secured by blockchain technology (Chen et al., 2018)?
Platform communities	How can stakeholders be motivated to engage in platform brand communities that provide information, support and other value-add (cf. Wirtz et al., 2013)
Transformative experience	In what ways does exchange on sharing economy platforms become transformative and self-expansive (extended self; Belk, 2013) beyond creating experiential, hedonic and social values?
Service failure and recovery	What is the attribution process in the event of service failure and recovery? That is, which party do consumers blame – the platform, provider or complementor – and who do they expect provide recovery and in what form?
Role of brand	How does branding of platforms differ from branding pipeline businesses (e.g. promoting differentiation in the case of pipeline models vs signaling trust, reducing risk perceptions with platforms)?How can brands be developed to be multi-sided whereby branding to service providers, consumers and complementors offer different value propositions?How can service providers differentiate themselves from others on the same platform (Benoit et al., 2017)?
Service providers as brand ambassadors	How can peer service providers be motivated to act as brand ambassadors with little or no formal training (Benoit et al., 2017)?
Platform loyalty	What causes consumers to be on more than one competing platform (e.g. multi-homing on Uber and Lyft), and what are the consequences on their switching behavior, loyalty, emotional connection and bargaining power with their platform providers?How can platforms build loyalty, engagement and related behaviors through evangelizing, milestoning, badging and documenting (Perren and Kozinets, 2018)?How can soft and hard incentives that are used widely in generic loyalty programs be adapted to encourage increased transactions on a platform? How effective are loyalty program-induced switching costs and incentives in driving platform loyalty (Chen et al., 2018)?
Price setting	What are the benefits and costs of sharing platforms allowing providers and/or users to set prices (e.g. Uber sets prices on their platform, whereas Airbnb lets service providers decide on the pricing; Chen et al., 2018)?
Regulation and society
Low-income consumers	What economic and societal implications do sharing platforms have for low-income consumers who are likely to gain access to services at a lower price (Benoit et al., 2017)?
Sustainability and labor market	What quantifiable impact have sharing platforms made on sustainability (e.g. reduced resource uses) and labor markets (e.g. stimulating employment)?
Regulation	How can regulators better facilitate the integration of sharing platforms and traditional service providers into existing regulatory systems (Cohen and Kietzmann, 2014)?
Cultural/societal differences	What cultural and societal differences play a role in the adoption, regulation and governance of sharing platforms in different countries and cultures?

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