The Next Step for P2P Carsharing: How to Reach Early Majority?

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to offer advice to the peer-to-peer (P2P) carsharing industry on how they can reach an early majority. Rogers, “Diffusion of Innovations” (2003) in combination with Davis’ (1993) theory were used to explain the characteristics of early adopters and majority. The study was two-fold. First, descriptive statistics were presented, and ordinal logistic regression were performed on the survey data, which were conducted among Norway’s largest carsharing platform, Nabobil users, and had 1731 responses. The survey was used to understand the current profile of P2P carsharing users. Additionally, five interviews with platform representatives and experts in Norway and The Netherlands were performed to find out their ideas on how to scale up. The results confirmed current theory and understanding. The two main findings were that enough providers are needed at neighborhood levels to attract renters and frictionless process with easy-to-use booking system and keyless access are expected by both renters and providers.