How Promoting Access‐Based Consumption Provokes Overconsumption
研究发现，同时强调社会利益（如可持续性）和自我利益（如省钱）的推广策略虽能提高参与度，却可能促使消费者用共享服务替代更环保的出行方式（如骑车或公交），导致过度消费；而仅强调社会利益能有效抑制这一效应。
ABSTRACT Access‐based consumption, such as car sharing or ride‐hailing, is often promoted as a more sustainable alternative to ownership‐based models, combining both society‐related (e.g., sustainability) and self‐related (e.g., cost savings) benefits. However, this promise of sustainability can backfire when consumers substitute lower‐emission alternatives—such as biking or public transportation—with access‐based services, a phenomenon we define as overconsumption. Across two laboratory experiments ( n = 351; n = 388) and a field study ( n = 167) in different mobility contexts, we demonstrate that communication strategies activating both self‐related and society‐related benefits—although effective in increasing participation—can unintentionally foster overconsumption. In contrast, activating society‐related benefits alone significantly curbs this effect. We identify self‐enhancement as the central underlying mechanism driving these effects in a dual role. While self‐enhancement increases both participation and overconsumption, its impact is contingent on consumers’ environmental identity. Specifically, self‐enhancement promotes sustainable participation among individuals with higher environmental identity but encourages overconsumption among those with lower environmental identity. Our findings offer actionable insights for marketers, policymakers, and nonprofits by outlining communication strategies that maximize engagement while minimizing environmental harm in the promotion of access‐based consumption.