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The evolution of trust in Airbnb: A case of home rental

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  • Ert, Eyal
  • Fleischer, Aliza

Abstract

Airbnb, a leader of P2P accommodation markets, has acknowledged that “trust is what makes Airbnb work” and has implemented several trust indicators over the years: reputation system, impression formation, and certification. We evaluate the changes in these indicators over time: 1. the modification of the reputation system, 2. the removal of hosts’ photos from the main search screen, and 3. the introduction of the Superhost program. We find that the change of the rating system was associated with a small, yet significant, reduction in ratings, that the removal of the hosts’ photos might have eliminated the price premium of trustworthy images, and that Superhost certification involves a price premium, but does not seem to compensate for established reputation.

Suggested Citation

  • Ert, Eyal & Fleischer, Aliza, 2019. "The evolution of trust in Airbnb: A case of home rental," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 279-287.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:anture:v:75:y:2019:i:c:p:279-287
    DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2019.01.004
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    5. Löw, Franziska & Lüth, Hendrik, 2021. "Quality Signals on Airbnb: A Hedonic Regression Approach," Working Paper 189/2021, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg.
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    17. Meijian Yang & Enjun Xia, 2021. "A Systematic Literature Review on Pricing Strategies in the Sharing Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-28, August.
    18. Cha, Moon-Kyung & Lee, Hee-Jung, 2022. "Does social trust always explain the active use of sharing-based programs?: A cross-national comparison of Indian and U.S. rideshare consumers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    19. Sakib, Md Nazmus & Hasan, Fuad & Al-Emran, Md & Felix, Reto, 2023. "A cross-cultural analysis of ridesharing intentions and compliance with COVID-19 health guidelines: The roles of social trust, fear of COVID-19, and trust-in-God," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    20. Chen, Yujia & Tussyadiah, Iis P., 2021. "Service failure in peer-to-peer accommodation," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).

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