INFLUENCE OF PERCEIVED SERVICE QUALITY ON BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS IN PEER-TO-PEER (P2P) ACCOMMODATION

Abstract

In this study, the focus was on exploring the attitudes of Airbnb users in Croatia. The primary goal was to investigate the impact of perceived service quality on users' behavioral intentions, with a particular emphasis on user engagement as a mediating variable. The significance of comprehending the concept of perceived service quality was highlighted, as it can aid in improving service design and development, enhancing service quality, and promoting user engagement, intention to reuse and positive recommendations. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 327 respondents to assess the impact of perceived service quality, expressed through technical, economic, and social categories, users' behavioral intentions, and whether this influence is mediated by user engagement. Data analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SPSS Amos 23.0 software. Our findings indicate that service quality's technical, economic, and social categories directly and positively affect the behavioral intentions of users in peer-to-peer accommodation. Moreover, user engagement was found to mediate between service quality categories and users' behavioral intentions. This suggests that users prefer the security, functionality, trustworthiness, ease of use, financial benefits, advanced information about prices, satisfaction, connection with other users, and the possibility of exchanging experiences, comments and suggestions for improvement, leading to repeated use and recommendation of the service.