Short answer
Designers and market strategists should leverage a structured understanding of consumer behavior within the sharing economy to identify underserved niches and develop more effective market entry and growth strategies.
- Field
- Innovation & Markets
- Source
- Management Review Quarterly (2025)
- Method
- Systematic Literature Review
- Sample
- 459 articles
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Understanding the multifaceted dimensions of consumer behavior within the sharing economy is crucial for identifying and capitalizing on emerging market opportunities. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Management Review Quarterly. Using Systematic literature review with 459 articles, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers and market strategists should leverage a structured understanding of consumer behavior within the sharing economy to identify underserved niches and develop more effective market entry and growth strategies.
Sharing Economy Consumer Behavior: A Framework for Understanding Market Opportunities
Understanding the multifaceted dimensions of consumer behavior within the sharing economy is crucial for identifying and capitalizing on emerging market opportunities.
Management Review Quarterly · 2025
Key Findings
- 01Consumer behavior in the sharing economy is complex and spans multiple dimensions.
- 02Certain domains within consumer behavior research require further investigation to fully understand the sharing economy landscape.
- 03Existing research offers both convergent and divergent insights into consumer motivations and actions.
Application
Design takeaway
Designers and market strategists should leverage a structured understanding of consumer behavior within the sharing economy to identify underserved niches and develop more effective market entry and growth strategies.
How to apply
When developing a new sharing economy service, use the identified consumer behavior dimensions to create user personas and map out potential user journeys, paying special attention to areas flagged for further research.
Project actions
- 01When researching a sharing economy product, consider how different consumer motivations (e.g., cost savings, social connection, environmental concern) might influence adoption.
- 02Identify gaps in current research to propose novel features or services that address these unmet consumer needs.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Comprehensive categorization of a broad research area.
- +Systematic and reproducible methodology.
Limitations
The availability of research on specific sharing economy platforms or niche markets might be limited, impacting the comprehensiveness of the review's findings for those specific areas.
Reliability & validity
The reliability of the review is supported by its systematic and transparent methodology. Validity is enhanced by using a recognized consumer behavior model as a framework.
Think critically
How might the identified research gaps in consumer behavior within the sharing economy translate into direct opportunities for disruptive innovation?
Design Principles
"Market opportunities are best identified by systematically analyzing and understanding the nuances of consumer behavior within evolving economic models."
The sharing economy represents a significant shift in consumption patterns, creating new market dynamics and business models. By systematically categorizing consumer research in this domain, designers and strategists can gain a deeper understanding of user motivations, decision-making processes, and potential market gaps.
What This Means for Your Design
To succeed in the sharing economy, businesses need to deeply understand how people behave as consumers, and this study maps out what we know and what we still need to learn about that behavior.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use the identified consumer behavior domains as a framework to analyze user research data for your design project.
- 2.Cite this review to justify the importance of exploring specific consumer motivations relevant to your design context.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research highlights the critical need to understand the diverse consumer behaviors within the sharing economy. By applying a structured framework of consumer behavior dimensions, designers can better identify market opportunities and develop more effective strategies for new products and services in this dynamic sector.
Source
Management Review Quarterly
Consumer research domains in the sharing economy: an organizing and categorizing review with research implications
journal · 2025
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about sharing economy consumer behavior: a framework for understanding market opportunities?
- Designers and market strategists should leverage a structured understanding of consumer behavior within the sharing economy to identify underserved niches and develop more effective market entry and growth strategies. Evidence: Management Review Quarterly (2025).
- Why does "Sharing Economy Consumer Behavior: A Framework for Understanding Market Opportunities" matter for design?
- The sharing economy represents a significant shift in consumption patterns, creating new market dynamics and business models. By systematically categorizing consumer research in this domain, designers and strategists can gain a deeper understanding of user motivations, decision-making processes, and potential market gaps.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Designers and market strategists should leverage a structured understanding of consumer behavior within the sharing economy to identify underserved niches and develop more effective market entry and growth strategies.
- What were the main findings?
- Consumer behavior in the sharing economy is complex and spans multiple dimensions.. Certain domains within consumer behavior research require further investigation to fully understand the sharing economy landscape.. Existing research offers both convergent and divergent insights into consumer motivations and actions.
- What research method was used?
- Systematic Literature Review with 459 articles.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2025 journal from Management Review Quarterly.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When developing a new sharing economy service, use the identified consumer behavior dimensions to create user personas and map out potential user journeys, paying special attention to areas flagged for further research.
- What are the limitations?
- The review's findings are dependent on the scope and quality of the existing literature. The categorization framework may also influence the interpretation of findings.