Sharing Economy in Urban China : A study about how sharing economy companies’views on sustainability correspond to consumer motives

Abstract: China is today the global leader and innovator of sharing economy, and the Chinese government has included it in their Five Year (2016-2020) development plan. China has during the last 30 years been the most rapid economically developing country in the world, but it has also brought along some negative consequences. It has become evident that the quick development of China has taken place at the expense of the environment. It is also described that the country has an economic development model heavily based on investment, export and high consumption which is arguably not sustainable.  The sharing economy presents great potential to change how consumers use resources andgoods, and also presents an opportunity to solve sustainability challenges such as decreasingenvironmental, economic and social conditions. There are today little research on this subject, especially empirical, and more research is preferred.  The purpose of this study is to investigate and explore how the sustainability work and marketing of three selected sharing economy companies in Shanghai correspond to customers’ motives for using sharing economy services. To collect data, three interviews were conducted with three different companies that utilize the sharing economy model in Shanghai, China. These companies are major players in the industries of ride-sharing, bike-sharing and house-sharing. Additionally, an online consumer survey regarding customers’ primary motives for using sharing economy services were conducted in order to fulfill our purpose and answer our research questions.  Results from this study conclude that the primary motives for consumers to use sharingeconomy is convenience (bike-sharing and ride-sharing) and to experience something unique (house-sharing). Other important motives are time-saving, accessibility and low cost aspects. The companies, on the other hand, tend to emphasize low cost, environmental and socialaspects. That is, consumer views are often in line with the three companies' marketing andsustainability views. However, there are several cases in this study where it differ.