Understanding the Determinants and Motivations for Collaborative Consumption in Laundromats

Abstract

A laundromat is a collaborative consumption alternative that is representative of a larger shift toward a sharing economy. The present study aimed to investigate determinants of laundromat use and develop a theoretical model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior to provide insights into consumer intentions regarding laundromats. This study also investigated differences among consumer motivations concerning laundromats in terms of their washing practices and sociodemographics using correspondence analyses. Data were collected from laundromat users. The model results indicated that consumer intentions were driven primarily by attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and perceived usefulness. Further group analysis between the respondents only using laundromats and those using laundromats together with other washing choices showed different significant intention determinants. Convenience and speed were the most practical reasons for using laundromats. The correspondence analyses indicated divergent motivations of various customer segments. Our findings could be used to support laundromats and their marketing campaigns by highlighting the uniqueness of their services to gain customers at different segments and also to maintain their existing consumer base.