To earn is not enough: A means-end analysis to uncover peer-providers' participation motives in peer-to-peer carsharing

Globally, the carsharing domain is growing, and new service offerings are arising. Peer-to-peer carsharing, facilitating car rental between private individuals, has attracted attention from entrepreneurs and researchers alike. Irrespective of this trend studies on carsharing have been predominantly focusing on identifying users' consumption motives in business-to-consumer contexts. Consequently, insights on consumers' motivational drivers to offer peer-to-peer carsharing services remain scarce. By conducting a series of laddering interviews with German peer-providers, we add to extant literature by uncovering four overarching motivational patterns that drive consumers' decision to participate as providers in peer-to-peer carsharing: economic interest (“earn”), quality of life (“enjoy”), helping others (“enrich”), and sustainability (“enhance”). Although self-centered motives of economic interest and quality of life are the dominating participation motives, peer-providers also seem to be intrigued by the possibility of helping others in terms of providing mobility and thereby enabling the creation of lasting memories. Paradoxically to previous assumptions regarding participation in sharing activities, sustainability is not a main participation motive for most peer-providers but is rather seen as an indirect consequence of participation.