Virtual Currencies as Financial Incentives for Sustainable Service Consumption
Anmol Gulati, Olivier Niyompuhwe · 2025
Virtual currencies (VCs) represent an emerging category of digital assets that have the power to revolutionize sustainable service consumption by aligning financial & behavioral rewards. The chapter discusses the concept of sustainability in service marketing & the growth of the new incentive drivers in the form of cryptocurrencies, loyalty points, & tokens. A typology of VCs is introduced, distinguishing centralized from decentralized implementations, utility from security tokens & proprietary from new digital currency-based VC models & mapping their advances in service areas like travel, hospitality, energy, & transportation. The channels through which VC-based incentives, both financial & social, affect real-world behaviors of eco-friendly purchases, energy saving, & sustainable mobility are explored based on real-world examples. Building on the literature, a conceptual model is developed & proposed to map antecedents, moderators, & outcomes. The study recommends core strategic implications for policymakers & service providers on the integration of token programs.