Interactive value formation: drivers and outcomes from Airbnb guests’ perspectives

Abstract

This study explores interactive value formation, particularly the underlying drivers of three value outcomes in the Airbnb context: co-creation, co-destruction and co-recovery. The study focuses on reviews posted online by Airbnb guests in English. These posts contained customers’ positive and negative experiences with Airbnb on Trustpilot. The data analysis uncovered two main themes that reflected the drivers of value co-creation, co-destruction and co-recovery (company’s customer service and hosts’ actions). First, after a service failure, many guests experienced value co-destruction because they felt that Airbnb’s customer service agents could not solve their problems in a timely and proper manner, while the use of successful recovery efforts by the service agents served as an antidote to value co-destruction, thereby contributing to value co-recovery. Second, host’s friendly behaviour, including prompt communication between the host and the guest, led to value co-creation. On the contrary, inadequate communication and unethical actions by the host generated value co-destruction among the guests and resulted in a decline in their well-being. The findings suggest that particular value dimensions can individually act as a source of either value co-creation or co-recovery, while their inadequate integration in the interactive value formation processes leads to value co-destruction.