scholarly journals Impact of Interactivity in Virtual Brand Communities on Consumer Behaviors Taking Mi Community as an example

2021 ◽  
Vol 235 ◽  
pp. 01034
Author(s):  
Hongwei Li

The development of mobile Internet technology makes people break away from the time and space restrictions, and enables them to interact with each other who bought the same brand as they do or who will buy products or services of a brand through the online virtual brand community. Mi Community is taken as an example in this study. The theories of the virtual brand community, interactivity in the community and consumer behavior are introduced, and a theoretical model that reflects the impact of interactivity in virtual brand communities on consumer behavior is built to illustrate the process of interactivity in communities promoting consumer behavior.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10221
Author(s):  
Sufyan Habib ◽  
Nawaf N. Hamadneh

E-commerce industry has witnessed a phenomenal growth globally due to the sudden spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the advancement of mobile Internet technology, with fast adaption of online shopping technologies by the customers. Previously, online shopping was only available in a few product categories and to a select group of consumers. The COVID-19 guidelines related to safety, physical distancing, closure, lockdown, and other restrictions have insisted that consumers shop online. Because of e-commerce growth, the grocery (FMCG) industry is also equipped with advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and block chain technology. This paper analyzes the UTAUT2 model and its influence on perceived risk and consumer trust in online purchase intention of grocery categories of products among Indian customers. We tried to analyze the growth potential of new technologies in grocery retail and formulated the hypotheses. The results showed that the spread of COVID-19 pandemic had a significant influence on the online shopping behavior of Indian customers. The outcome of the study partly assists businesses in understanding the impact of the factors of consumer adaption of technology, perceived risk associated with online transaction, consumer trust in online technologies and consumer online purchase intention of grocery products. To promote e-commerce in India, the current study suggests that marketers should try to develop consumer trust and lowering the perceived risk associated with online shopping. Some management implications and future area of study based on empirical findings are also highlighted in the present research work.


2021 ◽  
Vol 235 ◽  
pp. 02045
Author(s):  
Weijian Lu ◽  
Yu Han ◽  
Shiyu Chen

The significance of brand co-creation in virtual brand communities has been recognized in academia and practice. The existing literature has investigated the impact of customer participation in virtual brand community on brand performance and its mechanism, but the prospective impact of types of virtual brand community on types of brand commitment is not examined. Based on the survey of 229 members in virtual brand communities of two popular games of Tencent, this research empirically examines how different types of brand co-creation and virtual brand communities influence brand commitment. This research confirms that customers participating in autonomous brand co-creation in the autonomous virtual brand community have a significantly higher degree of brand experience, and those who participate in both sponsored and autonomous virtual brand community have a comparatively lower degree of brand experience. Meanwhile, sub-brand brand commitment plays the role of mediator between brand experience and corporate brand commitment. Theoretical and managerial implications are offered with limitations and future research.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matti Haverila ◽  
Caitlin McLaughlin ◽  
Kai Christian Haverila ◽  
Julio Viskovics

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to compare two different sample populations (student and general) to determine the impact of brand community motives on brand community engagement.Design/methodology/approachTwo samples were drawn for the purpose of the current research. The first sample was drawn among the members of various brand communities from a general North American population sample (N = 503). The second sample was drawn purely from students, belonging to a variety of brand communities, from a middle-sized Canadian university (N = 195). Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse the strength, significance and effect sizes of the relationships between brand community motive and engagement constructs.FindingsThe findings indicate that the impact of brand community motives varied by sample population. The information and entertainment motives were significantly related to brand community engagement in both sample populations with roughly equal effect sizes. The social integration motive was again significantly related to the brand community engagement construct in the student sample population – but not for the general North American general population sample. Further, the self-discovery motive and status enhancement motives were significantly related to brand community engagement in the North American sample, but not for the student sample. This indicates significant differences between the two sample populations.Originality/valueThe results of the current research demonstrate that student populations are significantly different from the general population regarding their motives towards brand communities. This indicates that brand community managers need to be aware of the motives of different brand community members and also that they need to exercise caution about utilizing purely student data to make decisions about brand community management.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 575-590
Author(s):  
Zhimin Zhou ◽  
Ge Zhan ◽  
Nan Zhou

Purpose Consumers share negative brand experience in many occasions to vent their emotion and seek support. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of negative sharing on members’ happiness in online brand communities by drawing from two opposing constructs: social support and social exclusion. Design/methodology/approach Both survey and experiment methods were employed to test the conceptual model. Online survey data were collected from 1,015 mobile internet users. Findings The findings reveal that negative sharing may enhance a sharer’s happiness through online social support particularly for novice community members. The findings also indicate greater online social exclusion for experienced members than for novice members. These findings cast doubt on the widely held assumption that increased engagement in a community will always produces positive outcomes. The moderating effect of membership duration is confirmed with an experiment of MI’s brand community members. Research limitations/implications The study of happiness in online brand community sheds new light on consumer–brand and user–community relationships. Originality/value While most previous studies on negative sharing only explored the negative side of consequences, the authors contribute to this line of research by introducing both positive (social support) and negative (social exclusion) outcomes of negative reviews. The model also explains the conditions under which negative reviews enhance social support and social exclusion.


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 1029-1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lili Wang ◽  
Ying Ding

Purpose Focusing on firm-initiated brand communities, the purpose of this paper is to systematically examine the influence of brand community rejection on consumer evaluations and document the underlying mechanism involved. Design/methodology/approach Four empirical studies were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. Using a similar 2 × 2 study design, different subject samples and different product categories, Studies 1-3 investigated whether a brand community rejection strategy impacted strong brands differently than weak brands. Furthermore, Study 3 measured reactance as a moderator to explore the underlying process of the impact of a brand community rejection strategy on brand evaluations for different types of brands (i.e. strong vs weak). Study 4 used a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects design to examine whether justification would eliminate the negative impact of brand community rejection on subsequent brand evaluations for a weak brand. Findings Across the four studies, the findings consistently suggest that rejection from firm-initiated brand communities harms weak brands but not strong brands. In addition, by incorporating psychological reactance as a moderator of this effect, the authors uncover the process underlying the interaction between brand community rejection and brand strength. Furthermore, the paper examines the reasons that justify rejection to find a solution that eliminates the negative impact of brand community rejection on brand evaluations for weak brands. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research provides the first investigation of the effects of a brand community rejection strategy for different brands. The findings could advance the social exclusion literature and shed new light on brand community research.


Systems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Qianling Jiang ◽  
Jie Sun ◽  
Chun Yang ◽  
Chao Gu

In response to the rapid growth of mobile Internet, online retailers have created better shopping experiences through new technologies. These shopping experiences are the product of the new interaction methods created by new technologies and the intrinsic value of these technologies. To achieve a better understanding of how new technologies improve consumers’ intention to use them continuously, this study established a theoretical model of how consumers’ perceived interactivity affects intrinsic value, which then affects attitudes, and ultimately contributes to the theoretical model. Within the perceived interactivity construct, there is perceived control, personalization and responsiveness, and as part of the intrinsic value construct there is playfulness and aesthetics. The results demonstrate that intrinsic value and perceived interactivity play important roles in predicting consumers’ attitudes and continuance intention to use new technologies applied to mobile e-commerce, but do not include perceived control in perceived interactivity. To highlight the results of this study, relevant enterprises or practitioners may use the findings to design or improve the features of existing mobile apps to provide better services and experiences to consumers based on their internal perceptions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (6) ◽  
pp. 1287-1302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Alonso Dos Santos ◽  
Francisco Rejón Guardia ◽  
Ferran Calabuig Moreno

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the influences and efficiency of a sports sponsorship in an online brand community. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted through interviews with 609 social network users of a Spanish first league soccer team. The partial least squares (PLS) methodology was applied with a posteriori segmentation (PLS prediction-oriented segmentation (POS)). Findings The attitude toward the sponsor helps to assess the efficiency of sponsorships between companies. This variable is particularly relevant for evaluating sponsorship efficiency in online brand communities. Improving trust and assessing the sense of membership directly improves attitudes toward the team and the sponsored brands. The attitude toward the sponsor has a direct and positive impact on the purchase intentions. The use of a posteriori segmentation with the PLS–POS technique helps discriminate between groups. Research limitations/implications Among the limitations encountered, further study would require using a sample of various sports disciplines and cultures. Practical implications Specific actions and communication strategies are defined for each segment and in general to adapt communication strategies that improve identification with virtual brand communities. The study has revealed involvement-related differences resulting from the impact that engagement with the sponsored team may have on the assessed relationships. Originality/value The study of the effects of sponsorship and the use of a posteriori variables user segmentation in an online brand community are used.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Thompson ◽  
James M. Loveland ◽  
Katherine E. Loveland

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the competing effects of brand community participation, which should enhance loyalty to both the brand and to already-owned products, against switching costs, which should make consumers sensitive about the financial costs associated with new products. Design/methodology/approach Using the participation and weekly adoption data from 7,411 members in two brand communities and one product category forum over a six-month period, switching costs were computed for each member using 10 years of product release and pricing data. Findings Consistent with prior research, switching costs had a significant effect on reducing product adoption. Brand community participation also had a significant effect on overcoming switching costs. However, these main effects were qualified by an interaction, such that the most active participants were more likely to buy the new product when switching costs were higher. Originality/value Most importantly, these findings provide unique insights into financial switching costs and demonstrate ways in which brand community participation provides a way to mitigate switching costs for consumers who would most be affected by them.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Thompson ◽  
Andrew M. Kaikati ◽  
James M. Loveland

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of brand community participation on new product adoption when the new product is the one which clearly under-performed compared to industry standards. Design/methodology/approach The data on participation behavior, membership duration and adoption behavior of 5,893 members of three different online communities (two brand forums, one general product forum) were gathered and assessed using a Cox PH model. Findings Results show that higher participation in a brand community leads to a greater likelihood of adopting objectively under-performing products, while also reducing the likelihood of purchasing rivals’ products. This occurs despite the higher levels of product knowledge possessed by these consumers. The findings also identify a key limiting condition for oppositional loyalty, that it is driven by membership duration, rather than by active participation in the brand community. Originality/value Prior research on the impact of brand community participation on product adoption has tended to focus on the adoption of products that are objectively superior to competing products. Unfortunately, only one product can be the performance leader in a given market at any time. Thus, managers do not know if brand communities are powerful enough to enhance the likelihood of adopting objectively under-performing products. This manuscript thus provides important insights for managers wishing to launch new products in categories where there are active brand communities.


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