Consumer Motivations to Join a Brand Community of Retail Chains in Social Network Sites

Abstract

Выявлены и изучены мотивы вступления потребителей в бренд-сообщества российских розничных сетей FMCG в социальных сетях (на примере Facebook). Установлено, что такими мотивами являются: лояльность к бренду, практическая и экономическая ценности. Исследование было про-ведено методом опроса, посредством размещения анкеты в сети Интернет. Новизна авторского подхода заключается в выявлении мотивов вступления потребителей в бренд-сообщества розничных сетей на основе теории использования и удовлетворения (uses and gratifications theory). This article is a description of a research of the consumer moti-vations to join brand communities of Russian FMCG retail chains in social network sites (taking Facebook as an example), conducted in March 2019. In recent years, the popularity of so-cial networks among the population has been growing. There-fore, almost all retail networks have their own pages on Face-book, it becomes an urgent task to create brand communities and attract consumers to them. Companies can organize brand com-munities if they understand the motivations for which consumers become members of brand communities. In this regard, the purpose of the study is to identify the motiva-tions to join brand communities of Russian retail networks on Facebook. Despite the existence of several studies in the field of brand communities, little is known about the motivations of members of the brand communities of retail chains that have certain business specifics. This determines the relevance of this study. The originality of the author's approach is in analysis of the motivations of members of the brand communities of retail networks based on the theory of use and gratifications theory. Based on previous research, as well as using the theory of uses and gratifications, the following motivations revealed, according to which consumers become members of brand communities: practical value, social value, social improvement, entertainment, and economic value. The practical value is based on customers obtaining valuable information on the company's page. Social value follows from the relationship that consumers can have among themselves and with the brand. Social improvement has its origins in the need for customers to feel useful to the community. Entertainment is associated with the opportunity to have fun. Economic value is associated with the desire to gain economic benefits from participation in the brand community. This study was conducted by a survey method, the questionnaire was posted on the Internet, customers who are members of the brand community of Russian retail chains on Facebook were interviewed, and 425 people were surveyed. According to the survey, among all the motivations in the first place in im-portance among members of retail network communities on Facebook is practical value, in the second place is brand loyalty, in the third place is economic value, then entertainment, social improvement and social value. After the research, the authors developed recommendations for marketers of retail net-works that allow forming a brand community in social networks effectively.