How China’s internet commonweal platform improves customer participation willingness? An exploratory study of Ant Forest

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of internet commonweal characteristics on consumers’ participation willingness, mainly predicated on the stimulus-organism-response model. Furthermore, co-creation value is tested as a mediator of the relationship between internet commonweal characteristics and consumers’ participation willingness, by using the project of Ant Forest issued by Ali-pay as an example.Design/methodology/approachAn online questionnaire survey was conducted among Ant Forest’s consumers with a final sample of 584 valid data. Moreover, to test the hypotheses in the relationship among latent variables, structural equation model analysis was used in this study.FindingsThe findings show that openness and interactivity as two kinds of characteristics of internet commonweal have positive effect on customers’ co-creation value; while co-creation would mediate the relationship between internet commonweal characteristics and customers’ participation willingness. As a result, more co-creation value would be created between the companies and their customers for higher level of internet commonweal to gain a sustainable image.Practical implicationsTwo managerial implications derived in this paper to explain how to manage the internet public welfare platform and how to promote the social public welfare undertakings. In short, consumers’ co-creation value, green value, personal achievement value and social relationship value would be aroused by the internet commonweal characteristics and will finally affect consumers’ participation willingness.Originality/valueThe originality and value in this paper is enriching the importance of customers’ co-creation value in the field of internet commonweal. And demonstrating that openness and interactivity of internet commonweal characteristics would increase customers’ co-creation value.