What Constitutes an Attractive Product‐as‐a‐Service Offer? Examining Consumer Preferences for (Circular) Business Patterns

ABSTRACT Little is known about consumer preferences for combinations of circular business model patterns, despite their potential to benefit the design of product services. This study examines consumer preferences for product‐as‐a‐service offers, combined with circular product attributes, across Sweden and the Netherlands. Using choice experiments for robotic vacuum cleaners, robotic lawnmowers, strollers and wool coats, we investigate access versus ownership, product condition, repair options and other aspects of product circularity. Results reveal that Swedish consumers show stronger preferences for pay‐monthly models, while Dutch consumers favour ownership. Preferences for new over refurbished or used products dominate, though product appearance and functionality can mitigate concerns. The study discusses the advantages and limitations of choice experiments and advocates a mixed method approach within user‐centric design to identify successful combinations of circular business model patterns that can potentially deliver resource efficiency benefits.