Understanding the omnichannel customer journey: The effect of online and offline channel interactivity on consumer value co-creation behavior

Building on the service dominant logic, this study explores the effect of online and offline channel interactivity on consumers’ value co-creation behavior (VCB), the mediating effect of brand involvement, and the moderating effect of cross-channel consistency (CCC). We surveyed 387 customers who engage in omnichannel shopping. The relationship between online and offline channel interactivity and VCB was positive and partially mediated by brand involvement. The interaction effect of online channel interactivity (ONI) and offline channel interactivity (OFI) had a negative effect on brand involvement when CCC was low but a non-significant positive effect when CCC was high. These findings enrich the theoretical understanding of value co-creation and provide insights into omnichannel management.     

Do ethics drive value co-creation on digital sharing economy platforms?

PurposeSharing economy is surging and so are the consumers’ ethical concerns regarding such platforms. The current study examines the antecedents of consumers’ intention to co-create value that include consumers’ ethical perceptions constructs (i.e. privacy, security, fulfillment/reliability, shared value, service recover, and non-deception) and relationship quality constructs (trust, satisfaction, commitment), focusing on the digital sharing economy platforms.MethodologySurvey method was applied to gather data from n=348 consumers at digital sharing economy platforms. Structural equation modelling technique through Amos version 24. was employed in order to further analyze the data.FindingsResults reveal that consumers’ ethical perceptions as a second order construct comprising of privacy, security, fulfillment/reliability, service recovery, and shared value does not influence consumers’ intention to co-create value. However, relationship quality as a second order construct including commitment trust and satisfaction influences consumers’ intention to co-create value. Furthermore, relationship quality serves as strong full mediator between consumers’ ethical perceptions and their intention to co-create value.OriginalityThe studies on drawing relationships between value co-creation and relationship quality constructs have been popular yet to the authors’ surprise; seldom any studies have been conducted in examining the role of ethical perceptions in the settings of digital sharing economy platforms. Therefore, the current study closes this gap.     

Achieving value co-creation through cooperation in international joint ventures: A two-level perspective

How can international joint ventures (IJVs) enhance value co-creation? Using a resource-based view (RBV), this study examines whether partners’ cultural compatibility and parent companies’ asset complementarity foster top-level cooperation and/or operating-level cooperation in IJVs and investigates the underlying mechanisms (i.e., top-level goal alignment and operating-level goal alignment) in IJV relationships. This study also scrutinizes the differing impacts of top-level and operating-level cooperation on value co-creation in IJVs. The findings from a survey of 200 IJVs in China show that partners’ cultural compatibility positively affects top-level cooperation primarily through top-level goal alignment, while asset complementarity positively affects operating-level cooperation through operating-level goal alignment. Furthermore, operating-level cooperation has a stronger effect on value co-creation than top-level cooperation. This study offers fresh insights into IJV cooperation and value co-creation by introducing a two-level perspective and provides important managerial implications for the development of sustainable IJVs.     

More gain,more give? The impact of brand community value on users’ value co-creation

Users' value co-creation behaviors contribute to the prosperity of brand communities as well as brand performance. This article aims to answer a basic question: are brand community users who obtain more value from the brand community more willing to co-create value? If so, why and under what conditions? Drawing from reciprocity theory, this study proposes that information value and social value lead to value co-creation by evoking users' reciprocity norm, and this effect depends on their self-presentation in the community. Results based on structural equation modeling combining survey data and archival data largely validate this framework, revealing that the reciprocity norm mediates the influence of brand community value on value co-creation. Additionally, information value increases value co-creation only when the level of self-presentation is high, and the positive effect of social value is not altered by self-presentation. By uncovering the mechanism and boundary conditions of how brand community value affects users’ value co-creation behaviors, this study extends the current literature on value co-creation and provides important practical implications.     

Influencer marketing: Homophily,customer value co-creation behaviour and purchase intention

Given the rise in influencer marketing on social media, this paper explores how homophily between influencers and their audiences affects customer value co-creation behaviour, resulting in increased expected brand value and purchase intention. A sample of 910 respondents from the United States completed an online investigation. The results indicate that homophily positively influences customer value co-creation behaviour as well as positively correlates with expected brand value and purchase intention. Customer value co-creation behaviour plays a multi-mediating role. Para-social relationship moderates the relationship between homophily and customer participation behaviour. Overall, this study encourages further research on value co-creation in influencer marketing and can constitute a valuable reference for marketing practitioners and influencers.     

Idea generation leveraged from value co-creation process enhances new service development performance

This study examines the relationship between value co-creation process, idea generation and new service development performance from the perspective of telecommunication companies. Two dimensions of idea generation tested in this framework are internal and external idea generation, and the probable relationship between these two dimensions is further investigated. The data were collected from 78 marketing managers and were statistically analyzed. The findings show that value co-creation crucially influences both external idea generation and internal idea generation, however, the new service development performance can be enhanced through internal idea generation. Nonetheless, the results show that the external idea generation is vital to influence internal idea generation. This study extends theoretical understanding of how to leverage the value co-creation process for idea generation happenings, while the practical contribution of the research is to realize that new service development performance demands internal idea generation, which is supported with external resources of idea generation.     

Intentionality and transformative services: Wellbeing co-creation and spill-over effects

In recent years, the service discipline has seen the emergence of a number of novel conceptual approaches, one in particular, called Transformative Service Research (TSR) focuses on wellbeing improvement and relieving suffering through service. However, service related wellbeing efforts can have both intended but also unintended consequences when aiming at co-creating value with individuals, communities or society at large. Nevertheless, academic debate lacks clarity regarding the effects of the directedness of service exchange and the outcome of transformative service in regard to, but also beyond, the focal actors involved. Directedness of service co-creation is closely related to the construct of intentionality. This conceptual paper aims to untangle this pivotal construct to comprehend actors’ intended co-creative wellbeing efforts to alleviate suffering of other actors, and it pays attention to potential unintended side effects. The paper synthesizes literature from philosophy and psychology relating to the construct of intentionality and applies it to wellbeing co-creation and co-destruction. Illustrative scenarios are used to support the lines of argument. The paper demonstrates how applying the literature on intentionality to transformative service contexts can assist in bringing greater transparency to the discussion of the directedness of service related wellbeing efforts and potential spill-over effects. When designing transformative services to improve wellbeing, service providers are urged to develop an awareness regarding their services and potential side effects. Likewise, policymakers responsible for devising, revising and (re-)implementing healthcare and social policies should consider such potential spill-over effects when formulating public policy guidelines. Equally, service scholars should integrate the construct of intentionality in any discussion of service-to-service exchange. This paper is amongst the first to draw on the concept of intentionality and introduces it to service research in the context of wellbeing co-creation.     

Value co-creation among hotels and disabled customers: An exploratory study

This study examines how service supplier and buyer value co-creation influences buyers' attitudes toward service providers. Service-dominant logic is a prevalent concept in the services industry, providing an important marketing theory in which intangible resources, co-creation of value, and relationships are the keys to determining marketing exchanges. This research describes a model for analyzing value co-creation management in the hotel industry, focusing on the specific market segment of disabled customers. This framework helps foster value co-creation to increase the benefits for participants during each stage of their relationship. The paper also presents the managerial implications of the research findings.     

Value co-creation in web-based multisided platforms: A conceptual framework and implications for business model design

The internet is fertile ground for multisided platforms that articulate the production of goods or the execution of services between third parties, thus relying on value co-creation as their core business model mechanism. However, an understanding of co-creation that underlies dynamics and implications for business model design and innovation is still dispersed and fragmented along a number of literature streams. This article aims to provide an understanding of the value co-creation process in web-based multisided platforms. A conceptual framework is proposed based on the combination of an analysis of a comprehensive systematic literature review, interviews with academics and entrepreneurs, and an analysis of secondary data on representative cases of multisided business models based on value co-creation. We offer a model of value co-creation in multisided platforms and advance a number of propositions regarding value dynamics, including the role of the focal firm in defining and maintaining value creation, propositions, and capture structures with consequences to monetization schemes and actors’ contributions and motivations for value co-creation. This article contributes to the understanding of the co-creation phenomenon, especially in multiple actor interaction regimes, and raises a number of suggestions for future research.     

Building value co-creation with social media marketing,brand trust,and brand loyalty

Value co-creation has emerged as a critical challenge for fashion brands in the age of social media. Despite its importance, scholars have not adequately explored the role of social media marketing (SMM) in enhancing value co-creation (VCC) intentions among fashion brand consumers in mainland China. SMM encompasses five hierarchical elements: entertainment, customization, interaction, electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM), and trendiness. This study developed a theoretical framework based on attribution theory and employed the partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method to analyze the value co-creation process. The results indicate that SMM positively impacts brand loyalty (BL), brand trust (BT), and VCC. Furthermore, BT positively affects BL and VCC, while also serving as a positive mediator between SMM and BL and VCC. Finally, BL positively enhances the VCC intentions of fashion brand consumers. Our study's unique insights, derived from the attribution theory's advantage point, enrich the marketing literature. These findings also offer practical guidelines and tips for marketing managers seeking to optimize their SMM mix for VCC.     

Blurring B2C and B2B boundaries: corporate brand value co-creation in B2B2C markets

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to explore how corporate brands co-create value with their multiple stakeholders in a B2B2C marketplace. Main data sources stem from in-depth interviews with top managers of a technology corporation in the financial sector. Findings depict a model that conceptualises the successful value co-creation process as the careful management of six specific drivers, namely: interdependency, direct approach, trust, strategic alignment, adaptive modus operandi, and knowledge sharing. Hence, the study offers new food for thought for scholars and practitioners who wish to improve their knowledge and understanding on brand value co-creation and corporate marketing.     

Transformative value co-creation with older customers in e-services: Exploring the influence of customer participation on appreciation of digital affordances and well-being

This study challenges the negative assumption that older customers struggle to adapt to e-service by exploring the positive influence of their participation on transformative value co-creation. A two-phase mixed-methods approach was adopted to develop and validate the research model. The results found that customer participation, including information sharing, responsible behaviors, and in-role feedback, promotes older customers' digital skills and basic needs satisfaction, leading to higher appreciation of digital affordances and well-being. Additionally, online employees’ customer orientation positively moderates the above relationships. This study provides insight for service providers to include older customers in e-services.     

A dynamic market conceptualization for entrepreneurial marketing: the co-creation of opportunities

The entrepreneurial marketing domain should consider opportunity co-creation as a foundational construct for advancing the discipline. This paper integrates emerging views in entrepreneurship with an evolving, service-dominant logic of marketing to develop a market conceptualization for exploring uncertainty in dynamic social and economic environments. With this market conceptualization, opportunities are continually co-created through the development and communication of value propositions, the derivation and determination of value, and the (re)formation of markets. Emerging research around the process of opportunity co-creation is used to create an initial definition and theoretical considerations.     

The rise of smart consumers: role of smart servicescape and smart consumer experience co-creation

ABSTRACT

Rapid technological advancements have led to the emergence of smart services and smart consumers. This study focuses on smart consumers who voluntarily engage in value creation activities, in order to conceptualise smart experience co-creation (SEC) and the smart servicescape. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, a model is proposed and tested around the impacts of smart servicescape dimensions (aesthetics, superior functionality, social presence, perceived interactivity and perceived personalisation) on smart consumer experience co-creation. SEC is conceptualised as a second-order construct consisting of cognitive, hedonic, social/personal, and pragmatic/economic first-order dimensions. Results show that the technological environmental cues of the smart servicescape (S) collectively influence smart experience co-creation (O), and this co-created experience eventually influences consumers’ service brand equity and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions (R). A major novelty of this study lies in uncovering the relationship between experience co-creation and service brand equity. Findings have theoretical and managerial implications for smart services.     

Reconceptualizing value creation: Exploring the role of goal congruence in the Co-creation process

As companies gradually shift from the exchange view to the resource integration view, the creation of value also shifts from the customer sphere to the joint sphere. As a result, the customer and service provider are responsible for co-creating value through resource integration. However, it raises the question of whether customers are capable of contributing to the co-creation of value. Our study proposes a framework of how goal congruence plays a pivotal role in the resource integration process between all actors in the joint sphere. When the level of goal congruence between customer and service provider actors is high, it stimulates the exchange of valuable resources from all actors, which leads to the actual experience of co-creation resulting in value-in-use and improves service outcomes, i.e., customer satisfaction and loyalty. Data were collected through a field survey from salon-and-spa customers (n = 530) and PLS-SEM was employed to test the hypotheses and further analysis. The results show that goal congruence impacts customer satisfaction and loyalty through value-in-use. Therefore, suggesting service providers to properly socialize their goals will be a good strategy to increase customer capability to co-create value and ultimately enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.     

Identifying multi-channel value co-creator groups in the banking industry

The purpose of this paper is providing a value co-creation management framework in the banking industry using the data analysis. Moreover, a multi-channel segmentation approach will be developed in order to identify customer segments based on the use of each channel. Managing value co-creation can be defined as determining the channel that may be used by the customer and the kinds of encounters that lie in these channels to have different impacts on the customer for various types of encounters. The model is built on the basis of the related literature and the collaboration of a Customer Relationship Manager in a large bank in Iran. Then, a multi-channel segmentation model is developed based on the RFM variables of the five banking channels for each customer. Next, about 11,000 customers of the bank is segmented by comparing the k-means and DBSCAN algorithms. Finally, by adapting customer segments on the value co-creation framework, three general groups are identified based on the type of encounter that lies in each channel. Moreover, twenty-seven small groups are recognized based on the desirability of the customer use of the channels.     

Turning ideas into products: subjective well-being in co-creation

New services, like fabrication spaces, 3D printer rentals and virtual marketplaces, have made it easier for empowered consumers to co-create innovative products without almost any involvement of traditional companies. Adopting a consumer-grounded view, this work takes a step forward from the existing service literature by investigating the link between psychological motives and happiness in co-creation. Specifically, the study measures how community affiliation, personal growth and utilitarian motives are predictors of subjective well-being (SWB). The results illustrate that community affiliation and personal growth motives predict high scores of SWB, while utilitarian motives do not. In addition, empowered consumers who co-create with others are happier than consumers who create alone. This indicates that direct interactions are not only a powerful platform for service co-creation, but are also predictors of SWB. We discuss the implications for traditional companies and for decision makers regarding the benefits offered by digital fabrication services.     

Co-creation of value at the bottom of the pyramid: Analysing Bangladeshi farmers' use of mobile telephony

Existing literature offers scant evidence of how BoP (bottom of the pyramid) consumers with limited product knowledge and interaction with product designers and marketers can co-create value. The current paper addresses this issue by analysing Bangladeshi farmers' use of mobile telephony. The findings suggest the value-in-use is facilitated or inhibited by product features, socio-economic practices, individuals' capabilities and the appropriation of mobile telephony. The paper demonstrates how BoP customers can co-create value with or without direct support from marketers and offers a theoretical framework for the co-creation of value and contributes to the current understanding of BoP market dynamics.     

Value co-creation in industrial cities: a strategic source of competitive advantages

This study proposed and tested comprehensive value co-creation activities and assessed its impact on creating value and building competitive advantages with the aim of developing a comprehensive framework for value co-creation process. Specifically, the study developed, and empirically tested, Prahalad’s and Gebauer’s et al. five activities of co-creation and explored the relationship between the new comprehensive value co-creation activities, co-creation value and competitive advantages in industrial cities. A structural equation modelling is employed to test the hypothesised relations. The data used were collected from 221 Egyptian manufacturing firms across different industries. Findings suggested the presence of a positive relationship between the activities of value co-creation (namely: partner engagement, co-reflection and co-recovery) and co-creation of value. Interesting findings revealed that self-service and co-design were not found to have an impact on co-creation of value. In addition, co-creation value positively impacts competitive advantages. This study provides guidelines for management practices within firms seeking to develop their capabilities and deliver superior value.     

Exploring the role of dark tourism in the creation of national identity of young Americans

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of dark tourism in constructing narratives and stories which co-create and reinforce national identity. By focusing on the voice of the tourist and their consumer experience, we develop an understanding of youth behaviours and motivations associated with dark tourism and the effect of social influences in forming narratives. This empirical study comprises 20 interviews with young American dark tourist site visitors, 11 of whom were re-interviewed. The emic insights suggest dark tourism experiences can be used to (re)affirm individual roles, enhance feelings of national identity and co-create a self as well as a national identity. An etic conceptual model is proposed that is specifically designed for dark tourism sites. It provides a novel explanation of national identity co-creation and recognises the relationship between tourist motivation, experience and co-creation.