Agnė Gadeikienė

The most recent developments in the sustainable fashion indicate the need to further study circular consumption. Ethical identity is linked to decision-making as morally correct or incorrect in relation to perceived brand value and demographics of today’s modern consumers. The study focuses on the role of ethical intensity, perceived social and emotional value and demographic characteristics in relation to consumer willingness to rent or purchase second-hand clothing online. The study employed an online survey to collect data in the United Kingdom and Lithuania. These two countries are relevant for this study because they both are situated in Europe. They both have options for consumers to shop second-hand or rent clothing online, which allows for meaningful data comparison. The study’s findings suggest that demographics, that is, gender acts as significant predictors for consumer willingness to purchase or rent second-hand clothing online in both countries, while age is only significant for Lithuania but not for the UK. Ethical intensity is an important driver of consumer willingness to rent or purchase second-hand clothing online in the UK but not in Lithuania. Perceived social and emotional value is the strongest significant predictor in the consumer willingness to rent or purchase second-hand clothing in both countries. By examining the abovementioned drivers, the study contributes to knowledge on how to better predict consumer decision-making. Specifically, the study introduces ethical intensity construct to the online second-hand and rental clothing context to aid the explanation of consumer willingness to purchase second-hand or rent clothing in the online context.

Acknowledgment
This project has received funding from the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT), agreement No [S-MIP-22-27].

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
This study aims to examine the factors that determine collaborative consumption intentions in accommodation services. Despite the growing popularity of digital platforms enabling collaborative consumption within the sharing economy, empirical evidence on the technological and behavioral factors that determine consumers’ motivation to access resources owned by others remains limited. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study analyzes survey data collected from 292 platform users in Lithuania who have prior experience in collaborative consumption in accommodation services to understand their motivations, perceived risks, and behavioral intentions in collaborative accommodation services. The findings demonstrate that perceived attitude towards collaborative consumption, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms significantly shape users’ intentions to engage in collaborative consumption (respectively, β = 0.226, p = 0.001; β = 0.215, p = 0.003; β = 0.255, p < 0.001). Distinct motivational patterns of partial mediation emerge with risk minimization, engagement determinants, and external pressures playing critical roles in participation decisions. This study reinforces relevance of the Theory of Planned Behavior in explaining digital platform adoption and highlights how platform features can foster consumer engagement. It advances understanding of consumer behavior in the sharing economy by examining the psychological and social dynamics of dual-role participation and contributes to the growing discourse on how digital platforms can facilitate meaningful peer-to-peer exchanges while promoting consumer well-being.

Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the use of the Anthropic Console, an AI-based assistant, for language editing and proofreading during the preparation of this manuscript. The content and intellectual contributions remain the sole responsibility of the authors.