Understanding Single Homing and Multihoming User Switching Propensity in Cloud File Hosting Service Relationships

Abstract

This paper compares the commitment and switching propensities of single-homing users, who only consume services from a single provider, and multi-homing users, who consume similar services from multiple providers at the same time. The study surveys 217 users of public file-hosting services, a popular but controversial cloud-based service. The study reveals significant differences between single-homing and multihoming users. For single-homing users, propensity to leave is motivated by trust. For multihoming users, propensity to leave is motivated by commitment. However, the results also indicate that both single-homing and multihoming users perceive similar relationship components (e.g. shared values, mutual understanding, relationship costs and benefits), despite their homing preferences. The findings provide theoretical insight into how different types of users approach online service relationships. The findings have implications for highly separated online service providers.