Co-creation Behavior Research Articles

Customer value co-creation behaviors and service outcomes: insights from a transformative service

ABSTRACT This research focuses on a key transformative service, namely public higher education, and examines how student value co-creation behaviors contribute to the quality of educational services and, thereby, influence student performance, satisfaction, and retention. The two empirical studies highlight the salient effects of (a) citizenship behavior on service quality; (b) participation behavior and service quality on student performance and satisfaction; and (c) student performance and satisfaction on student retention. Methodological triangulation between the two studies suggests that the effect of participation behavior on service quality, as well as the effect of the latter on performance, are sensitive to the use of self-report versus behavioral measures. The findings are discussed and their research, strategic, and transformative service implications are delineated.

Antecedents of value co-creation activities for online fashion brands

While there are a significant number of large and successful fashion brands accessible online, there has been a notable rise in the number of entrepreneurial online-only fashion retailers. These retailers are leveraging their social commerce capabilities for the co-creation of economic value and social value. Research is growing in terms of both co-creation, and social commerce, but little is known about what kind of activities take place on social commerce platforms, or their antecedents, including within the online fashion industry. Qualitative content analysis from focus group research reveals a range of activities requiring varying levels of emotional and informational commitment. Further, fashion involvement and willingness to participate are identified as antecedents to online co-creation behaviour with the UK’s fashion retailers and their other consumers. Another valuable contribution is made with the hypothesis of a direct causal link between fashion involvement and willingness to participate, moderated by social desirability, the first time that these concepts have been linked in the literature.

Human value co-creation behavior in tourism: Insight from an Australian whale watching experience

This study explores and tests a comprehensive model of co-creation in creating value and tourist satisfaction. In addition to being the first study to empirically test the customer value co-creation behavior scale developed by Yi and Gong (2013), the present work adds to theory by revealing the importance of tourists' mental co-creation and employees' active participation in creating value and satisfaction for the customer. Factor analyses and econometric models of logit model and multivariable ordinary least squares regression are applied to a sample of 1024 whale watching tourists. The study finds that tourists' participation is more important in influencing their perceived value during the experience than their satisfaction. Employees' input is key to the experience in enhancing tourists' value and satisfaction. The main contribution of the study is the inclusion of co-creation behaviors from different human actors including tourists and employees. Opportunities for future research are outlined.

One size doesn’t fit all: a uses and gratifications analysis of social media platforms

PurposeThis research study aims to investigate consumer usage motivations for three of the top social media platforms today: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Additionally, through understanding various platform distinctions, firms can understand which social media platforms consumers prefer to use to co-create with brands online.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory qualitative study is first conducted to understand consumer motivations for using different social media platforms. The main study tests five hypotheses related to consumer usage intentions and social media co-creation behavior across three social media platforms. A survey is conducted with 1,050 social media users with a comparison of mean responses using multivariate analysis of covariance.FindingsResults support significant differences between platforms in terms of use and co-creation behaviors. For informational purposes, consumers gravitate toward Twitter. For social purposes, Twitter and Instagram are preferred. Instagram is the primary platform for entertainment motivation as well as co-creating with brands via social media. Surprisingly, Facebook shows the lowest usage intentions and co-creation despite being the largest platform and network most widely used by marketers.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to take a multi-platform approach to understanding consumer social media use and co-creation with brands. The results highlight that marketing academics and practitioners must segment the various social media platforms as each offers unique value propositions to consumers.

Co-creation and integrated resort experience in Croatia: The application of service-dominant logic

This study aims to identify the role of integrated resort customers' value co-creation attitude on their co-creation behavior by applying service-dominant logic in the integrated resort setting. The proposed model is tested using data collected from five integrated resort sites in Croatia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is used to explore the relative impact of multidimensional value co-creation attitude, including interaction, knowledge sharing, and responsive attitudes, on customers' co-creation behavior (i.e. participation and citizenship behavior) toward integrated resorts. Findings suggest that customers' interaction and responsive attitudes positively influence their future behavioral intention. In addition, customers' participation behavior significantly and positively mediates the relationship between their responsive attitude and citizenship behavior. Given the importance of understanding and managing customers’ experience, findings are also beneficial for academic researchers and integrated resort service providers.

Driving users’ behaviours and engagement in co-creating services

PurposeThis paper investigates factors that determine users’ behaviours during services co-creation, as well as those that influence their engagement in such efforts.Design/methodology/approachStudy 1 relies on partial least squares structural equation modelling and between-subjects, scenario-based experiments with 633 participants to examine users’ co-creation behaviours. Study 2 uses interactive research workshops with 38 design professionals to analyse the drivers and inhibitors of users’ co-creation engagement and the likelihood of different user types to engage in it.FindingsDispositional and demographic factors can predict users’ behaviours during services co-creation. A proposed framework details drivers and inhibitors of users’ engagement in co-creation, and a typology predicts the likelihood of different users to engage in co-creation, based on their traits and demographics. This likelihood to co-create, according to traits, then can be predicted according to elemental, compound and situational traits.Practical implicationsService providers and service designers can use these findings to design better co-creation activities for various users, build a conducive working environment and select suitable participants for co-creation activities.Originality/valueThe current study addresses the dearth of research pertaining to how to encourage users to co-create services and drive their engagement in such efforts.

Exploring the effects of customer’s values on motivation and co-creation behavior – a study of education service

Marketing theories recently emphasize the role of customers in a value co-creation process to create value for themselves. From service-dominant logic, value co-creation refers to interaction and resource integration between customers and other actors in the service ecosystem. To perform any behavior, from self-determination theory, intrinsic motivation is the key driver. The question is, why is there a difference between a customer’s intrinsic motivation when they participate in the value co-creation process? This study aims at proposing the model about the effects of three types of personal values, including self-direction: thought, achievement, and tradition on customer’s intrinsic motivation. The analysis is based on the context of higher education in Vietnam. The results indicate that all three types of personal values have a positive impact on customer’s intrinsic motivation. In addition, self-direction: thought is found to have the strongest positive significant impact on customer’s intrinsic motivation. Moreover, the results also prove the important role of intrinsic customer motivation in performing their value co-creation behaviors. Besides that, this current study provides some research gaps for further study on creating customer motivation through a value co-creation process.

Co-creating brand image and reputation through stakeholder’s social network

By drawing on social identity and stakeholders’ theories, this paper seeks to examine how universities co-create and manage their brand image and brand reputation through tapping into internal-stakeholders’ social network. This research utilises explanatory research design at the preliminary stage, and the subsequent model is examined via a positivist survey carried out among higher education internal stakeholders in the UK. The results show that the relationship between navigation design of the website, usability of the website and customization of the website are not significant from students’ perspective, whereas all those are significant from employees’ perspective. Furthermore, the relationship between logo and co-creation behaviour is not significant from employees’ perspective while it is significant from students’ perspective. University website is the most important marketing tool to attract students and other stakeholders. Therefore, these findings have significant implications for higher education branding and marketing managers aiming to design appropriate communication tools with a view to actively engage students and employees in a co-creation process to improve their products, services and brand image.

Exploring the interplay between customer perceived brand value and customer brand co-creation behaviour dimensions

As value co-creation continues to gain traction as one of the most influential concepts in contemporary marketing, it is worthwhile to explore the role of the customer in the realisation of value. This paper considers that customer participation in a range of active customer behaviours, including development, feedback, advocacy and helping, can co-create customer perceptions of brand value. In particular, the research examines the interplay between the dimensions of quality, emotional, price and social value with respect to co-creation behaviour dimensions. Overall, the results indicate potentially positive impacts of advocacy and development behaviours, little influence from feedback and seemingly negative impacts from helping behaviour, upon brand value dimensions. This paper offers initial insight into the potential impacts of different behaviours upon forms of value, enhancing theoretical understanding and offering direction for brand management applications.

The Influence of Customer Value Co-Creation Behavior on SME Brand Equity: An Empirical Analysis

Competition in the service industry is intense. To deliver value-added services, more companies are focusing on consumers as a powerful means of establishing firm performance through dialog, participation, and engagement. However, scant research has been conducted to examine whether customer value co-creation can boost brand equity, particularly among SMEs. To address these shortcomings in the literature, this paper investigates the impact of customer value co-creation on brand equity among SME consumers of service industries. A theoretical model is developed and tested using survey data from 548 customers in Malaysia. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is employed to simultaneously test the hypothesized relationships. The results demonstrate a positive relationship between information seeking, responsible behavior, personal interaction, advocacy, tolerance and brand equity. This study contributes to the development of knowledge regarding the transfer of the concept of customer value co-creation to an SME service context.

Innovativeness and customer value co-creation behaviors: Mediating role of customer engagement

• Innovativeness can enhance customer value co-creation behaviors. • Customer engagement can stimulate customer value co-creation behaviors. • Innovativeness influences customer co-creation behaviors through customer engagement. • The study contributes to existing knowledge by uncovering the mediator of customer engagement in the abovementioned relationship. Customer value co-creation behaviors play a crucial part in determining customer satisfaction. However, few restaurant literatures have examined how innovativeness influences customer value co-creation behaviors. This research examined the influence of innovativeness on customer value co-creation behaviors to clarify the mediating effect of customer engagement. Survey data from 501 customers demonstrated that innovativeness and customer engagement are positively related to customer value co-creation behaviors. Moreover, customer engagement mediates the association between innovativeness and customer value co-creation behaviors. This research extends current knowledge on customer co-creation and examines the associations among innovativeness, customer engagement, and customer value co-creation behaviors. Research implications suggest strategic directions for restaurant managers in terms of innovative practices and customer relationship management.

Social support, belongingness, and value co-creation behaviors in online health communities

Community members become part of the value chain, and their value co-creation behaviors have progressively elicited extensive attention from scholars and practitioners. However, the mechanisms on how members co-create value in online health communities (OHCs) have been poorly investigated. Therefore, this study develops a model of how belongingness and social support affect the four value co-creation behaviors (i.e., information sharing, responsible, feedback, and advocacy behaviors) in OHCs based on need-to-belong theory and social support literature. Our survey data from 237 OHC members empirically show that informational, emotional, esteem, and companionship supports positively influence members’ belongingness to OHCs, which in turn affects information sharing, responsible, feedback, and advocacy behaviors. Members’ belongingness to OHCs mediates the relationships between the four forms of social support and value co-creation behavior. In addition, OHC members’ perceived health competence positively moderates the influence of belongingness on information-sharing behavior, whereas their mental health negatively moderates the relationships of belongingness with all four value co-creation behaviors. Therefore, promoting value co-creation relies on the improvement of member belongingness, but it should also consider the health competence and status of members.

Value cocreation behavior of customers and companies on the Weibo social media platform

The Weibo social media platform in China has an important role in the value-generation process between a company and a customer. We investigated the relationship between the service quality provided on a company's Weibo page and the two dimensions of customer value cocreation behavior, namely, participation and citizenship, as well as the moderating effect of collectivism on this relationship. Participants were 354 active users of Weibo. Our findings confirmed that the service quality provided on a company's Weibo page was critical to the generation of customer value cocreation behavior. Further, collectivism moderated this relationship, with higher levels of collectivism strengthening the Weibo page service quality and customer value cocreation behavior relationship. In addition, customer citizenship behavior was positively related to customer perceptions of brand image, whereas customer participation was not. Implications for companies in the Chinese context are discussed.

Online Community Value Co-creation

PurposeMany companies strengthen their interaction with consumers by establishing online communities and bring convenience to value co-creation with consumers. Some companies use economic and social strategies to stimulate consumer value creation. However, the way to increase the effectiveness of such corporate strategies remains unclear. To address this challenge, this study investigates the impact patterns of economic and social strategies that influence consumers' value co-creation behaviour in firm-hosted online communities (FOCs). Moreover, the effective conditions for the value co-creation of the two strategies are explored.Design/methodology/approachData from an FOC were collected for electronic communications products. A total of 1,305 second-hand data records on value co-creation activities were obtained. Then, an econometric model was built and Stata14.0 software was used for data analysis.FindingsThe effect of economic interaction strategy on the value co-creation in online communities is an inverted U-shaped model, and that of social interaction strategy is relatively stable and is not an inverted U-shaped model. Value creation initiatives introduced by enterprise personnel adopt economic strategies to improve effectiveness. On the contrary, value co-creation activities initiated by consumers use social strategies for the same purpose. Economic strategies are effective for large teams, whereas social strategies may lead to a “free rider” mentality.Research limitations/implicationsThis study finds two important factors affecting the value co-creation in FOCs and their effective boundaries. However, other factors may also affect the online community value co-creation. Future research can further explore the intrinsic mechanisms of these strategies for value co-creation.Practical implicationsThis article mainly discusses the influence of stimulation strategies on the value co-creation in an actual company community and exhibits good practical significance for the value co-creation activity and management in online communities. Firstly, corporate strategy is effective in communities, but this strategy requires proper control. Secondly, the company strategy must consider appropriate application conditions.Originality/valueThis study deepens the understanding of the impact of economic and social strategies on the value co-creation in FOCs and the effective boundaries of these impact patterns.

Value co-creation behaviors and hotel loyalty program member satisfaction based on engagement and involvement: Moderating effect of company support

Value co-creation behaviors and hotel loyalty program member satisfaction based on engagement and involvement: Moderating effect of company support

Consumer Experience as Suppliers on Value Co-Creation Behavior

Consumer Experience as Suppliers on Value Co-Creation Behavior

Platform ecological circle for cold chain logistics enterprises: the value co-creation analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a framework of value co-creation in platform ecological circle for cold chain logistics enterprises to guide the transformation and development of cold chain logistics industry.Design/methodology/approachThis paper establishes a conceptual framework for the research on the platform ecological circle in cold chain logistics, utilizes a structural equation model to investigate the influencing factors of the value co-creation of the platform ecological circle in the cold chain logistics enterprises and elaborates the internal relations between different influencing factors regarding the value co-creation and enterprises’ performance.FindingsResults show that resource sharing in logistics platform ecological circle can stimulate the interaction among enterprises and this produces a positive influence on their dynamic capabilities, which, in turn, affects the they to work together to plan, implement and solve problems, so as to achieve the goal of improving enterprise performance.Practical implicationsThe shared resources and value co-creation activities in the platform ecological circle are very important for the transformation and development of cold chain logistics enterprises. Therefore, enterprises should promote value co-creation through realizing resource sharing and creating a win-win cooperation mechanism.Originality/valueThis paper targets at incorporating the resource sharing in platform ecological circle for cold chain logistics enterprises, explores from an empirical perspective the role of the resource sharing in cold chain logistics enterprises in enhancing the dynamic capabilities of enterprises, thereby encouraging the value co-creation behavior, and ultimately boosts enterprise performance and stimulates business development.

Towards a Framework of Students Co-Creation Behaviour in Higher Education Institutions

The aim of this paper is to identify a matrix framework of students' value co-creation in higher education through the development of an innovative model that is able to understand the role of technology in facilitating students' co-creation behaviour. This study presents a systematic literature review methodology in order to analyse the phenomenon of co-creation in higher education institutions. The paper explores the drivers of students' involvement and identifies two different categories that are able to activate the students' co-creation behaviour: community involvement and exploitation of interactive technology. The resulting framework is useful to broaden the literature on value co-creation and can be used to guide practitioners on administration in higher education. The research presents both contributions to the conceptualisation of the student co-creation behaviour as a double construct and changes in the university co-creation scenario.

Towards a framework of students' co-creation behaviour in higher education institutions

Towards a framework of students' co-creation behaviour in higher education institutions

The Antecedents and Consequences of Value Co-Creation Behaviors in a Hotel Setting: A Two-Country Study

This study examines the antecedents and consequences of value co-creation behavior in a hospitality context. An online questionnaire with samples of hotel patrons in the United States and Australia was used to obtain data and partial least square modeling was used in the analysis. The results suggest patron fairness perception enhances trust and identification with a hotel, which encourage engagement in the value co-creation behavior. Furthermore, this behavior enhances patron well-being and respect for the hotel. The study contributes to the literature by suggesting a value co-creation behavior model in the hospitality context and empirically examining the antecedents and consequences of this behavior. The results have important implications for managers designing service encounters that can encourage hotel patrons to engage in the value co-creation behavior.