An empirical approach to ECRM-increasing consumer trustworthiness using online product communities

Abstract

Online business communities are fast emerging as new organizational tools for customer relationship management, marketing, brand management and for a multitude of other purposes such as building strong online trust and reciprocity. This study has been conducted to do an analysis of the online community of Apple in detail by using Netnography, which is a new qualitative, interpretive research methodology that uses Internet-optimized ethnographic research techniques to study an online community. As a marketing research technique, ‘Netnography’ uses the information publicly available in online forums to identify and understand the needs and decision influences of relevant online consumer groups. The identification of parameters that aids participant trustworthiness can aid long-term strategic decision making. It is deduced that increased consumer participation in a community results in increased reciprocity, and more accurate peer-to-peer responses translate into greater peer acceptance, which is indicative of greater trustworthiness of a participant. This implies that trustworthiness and popularity of a forum member is a direct function of his ability to give correct answers (level of Consumer Product knowledge) to participants and their level of participation. Peer-to-peer consumer interaction is useful, and relevant incentives to consumer evangelists will be in the long-term organizational interest. Concepts of business online communities – coupled with commerce, content and communication – are widely discussed as the essential components of a successful organizational web presence. In a marketing context, the significance of a community can be viewed as an extension of the relationship marketing paradigm. The interest in the online communities from a marketing perspective is driven by the belief that the complex network of personal relationships and increasing identification with the group as a community provide a foundation for a very attractive business model. Customers and other stakeholders are only likely to be interested in communities that offer them value.