Access-based business model for washing machines: Evidence from consumer testing.
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Product lifetimes and the environment (PLATE): Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/server/api/core/bitstreams/a100c890-8de2-4428-a220-1e37e0ab49a9/content |
| Keywords | Circular economy; Access-based business model; Consumer acceptance; Household appliances |
| Description | The household appliances industry has been identified as one of the areas with a high potential to adopt a circular economy since appliances such as washing machines burden the environment throughout their whole lifecycle (Bressanelli et al., 2020). This paper focuses on (smart) product-service systems, recognized as a promising circular economy strategy. In 2022, Gorenje Group started to test an access-based business model for washing machines and tumble dryers on a group of consumers who agreed to take part in the test. In this access-based business model, the company rents professional long-lasting washing machines and tumble dryers to the final consumers, taking care of delivery, installations, possible repairs and take-back. The appliances are equipped with sensors and monitoring usage data, sending them to the IoT platform. The aim of this paper is to analyze consumer feedback from the testing phase of an access-based PSS business model for washing machines and tumble dryers. The feedback was collected through the means of semi-structured interviews with the testers from the Danish market. The interviews revolved around topics such as customers' perceptions of the benefits and disadvantages of the business model, sustainability, ownership and psychological ownership, connectivity and data collection. The added value of this study lies in the fact that the insights were collected from the consumers based on their experience with the business model, rather than just potential customers. |
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