TY - JOUR
T1 - I do not own a car any more
T2 - An analysis of possessions’ disposal and changes in consumers’ identities
AU - Sandes, Fabio Shimabukuro
AU - Leandro, Julio
AU - Boaventura, Patricia
AU - da Silva Junior, Adelson Ferreira
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - This research aims to understand the process of cars' disposal, its context, its influences and its impacts on the meanings for consumers and their identities, as well as the new behaviours of these consumers when living without their car(s). We conducted, analysed and interpreted 20 in-depth interviews with consumers that had previously owned at least one car and had no financial reasons for disposing of their car(s), but had decided to do it, and started to live without them, adopting alternative methods of transportation. Our findings show that these consumers faced a complicated process regarding the disposal of their car(s) but, due to the changes in their circumstances, they re-signified relevant concepts that were connected to the ownership of a car: Their perception of freedom, comfort, safety and status changed during and after the disposal of their car(s). We also noticed that there were implications in terms of changes in their attitudes and behaviour as both citizens and consumers. As a contribution to the literature, our findings indicate that the re-signifying of concepts related to possession of the object as well as changes in attitudes and behaviours that consumers undergo in the postdisposal stage, must be included in the model proposed for evaluating consumer behaviour in product disposal.
AB - This research aims to understand the process of cars' disposal, its context, its influences and its impacts on the meanings for consumers and their identities, as well as the new behaviours of these consumers when living without their car(s). We conducted, analysed and interpreted 20 in-depth interviews with consumers that had previously owned at least one car and had no financial reasons for disposing of their car(s), but had decided to do it, and started to live without them, adopting alternative methods of transportation. Our findings show that these consumers faced a complicated process regarding the disposal of their car(s) but, due to the changes in their circumstances, they re-signified relevant concepts that were connected to the ownership of a car: Their perception of freedom, comfort, safety and status changed during and after the disposal of their car(s). We also noticed that there were implications in terms of changes in their attitudes and behaviour as both citizens and consumers. As a contribution to the literature, our findings indicate that the re-signifying of concepts related to possession of the object as well as changes in attitudes and behaviours that consumers undergo in the postdisposal stage, must be included in the model proposed for evaluating consumer behaviour in product disposal.
KW - Uber
KW - access economy
KW - collaborative economy
KW - consumer identity
KW - postdisposal
KW - product disposal
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85066051479&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/ijcs.12524
DO - 10.1111/ijcs.12524
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85066051479
SN - 1470-6423
VL - 43
SP - 446
EP - 456
JO - International Journal of Consumer Studies
JF - International Journal of Consumer Studies
IS - 5
ER -