The Role of Brand Innovativeness and Hope in the Sharing Economy

Are brands truly innovative? This research focuses on customer perceived brand innovativeness (CPBI) for the sharing economy firm, Airbnb, and investigates the role of hope in explaining the effects of CPBI on guests’ perceived emotional and behavioural responses. An online survey was completed using Amazon Mechanical Turk in January 2019, with responses currently being analysed using SPSS. Preliminary findings suggest possible outcomes of CPBI can impact customers’ goal attainment, perceived value of relationship with a brand, satisfaction, trust and commitment. Firms operating in the sharing economy space often invest substantial resources into marketing programs to enhance innovativeness in order to create an image of market leadership and create barriers to entry for competitors. Outcomes of the research could inform managerial strategies on the role of hope in shaping customer perceptions of brand innovativeness, and provide a platform to examine the societal impacts of collaborative consumption.