This chapter focuses on product-service systems (PSSs) replacing ownership of products. It discusses the conditions under which consumers are more inclined to demand renting or leasing offers. The functional view on this topic, informed by neo-institutional economics, shows that usership may release consumers from the duties linked with ownership. The symbolic perspective, however, inspired by consumer research and socio-psychological findings, underlines that ownership essentially contributes to identity formation and social cohesion in modern consumer societies. The chapter concludes that there is a need to recover the symbolic meanings that are ′lost′ when giving up ownership of material goods. Providing clients with a sense of control in the service interaction and creating a service brand offering a meaningful consumption experience are possible ways to enhance the symbolic meanings of usership.
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