Product service-systems : an integrative typology of value propositions and marketing practices to curb obsolescence practices ? Understanding consumers’ reactions to product-service systems

Faced with the inherent limits of the planet and the need to reduce waste disposal, our society needs to shift towards more sustainable patterns of production and consumption. In this context, we adopt a focus on product-service systems (PSS), the integrated systems of products and services that aim to be competitive, satisfy consumer needs, and have a lower environmental impact than traditional business models. In particular, the three essays of this dissertation investigate whether and how PSS help curb obsolescence practices and how consumers respond to these systems in a business-to-consumer context. The fight against obsolescence (i.e., ‘the deliberate curtailment of product lifespan and the symbolic devaluation of durable goods’) has a leading role to play on environmental development challenges, but academic research on the topic is scarce. A conceptual paper first highlights how product-oriented PSS can reduce the probability of obsolescence occurrence and increase the life cycle (i.e., delaying time to obsolescence) of durable products. We detail the particularities of each sub-practice of product-oriented PSS (i.e., consumer education, take-back schemes and revalorization services, maintenance contracts and repair services, and upgrades), which displays equivocal relationships to the different types of obsolescence (physical, technical, after-sales, economic, psychological, and ecological) and outline a clear research agenda, delineating priorities and paths toward new ways of thinking about PSS. In the second essay, we narrow down our focus to one type of product-oriented PSS sub-practice: repair services. We examine repair within a signaling framework to determine the suitability of repairability communication as a signal of high-quality, durable goods. We employ mixed-methods research to determine how and when informing consumers about a brand promise of repairability through pre-purchase communication can influence their attitude toward the product and the brand. The last essay focuses on use-oriented PSS, characterized by access-based consumption. Based on a case research methodology, this paper aims to advance our understanding of consumers’ experiences with use-oriented PSS and how it shapes consumers’ demand for the product/services or other consumption. We report the emergence of behavioral responses to the adoption of use-oriented PSS that threaten or reinforce the expected environmental gain of these systems. These behavioral responses (i.e. rebound effects) are discussed in light of the coping and the optimal stimulation level literatures. By providing an understanding of PSS as a potential solution against obsolescence, this doctoral dissertation contributes to PSS literature linked to environmental sustainability by investigating the challenges brought by obsolescence and by highlighting the importance of product-oriented PSS. This dissertation also contributes to the sustainable marketing literature by extending the comprehension of consumer behavior regarding potential solutions for obsolescence. From a practical point of view, this dissertation provides managers and policy-makers with insight and guidance to enable the transition to sustainable development and minimized obsolescence.