scholarly journals Consumer engagement in online brand communities: the moderating role of personal values

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 1671-1700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Marbach ◽  
Cristiana Lages ◽  
Daniel Nunan ◽  
Yuksel Ekinci

Purpose Despite growing recognition of the importance of consumer engagement with new technologies, a gap remains in terms of understanding the antecedents, consequences and moderators of online consumer engagement (OCE). This paper aims to address this gap by exploring the relationship between personality traits, OCE, perceived value and the moderating role of personal values. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical framework anchored in the extant OCE literature is tested through a study of 559 users of two distinct firm-hosted online brand communities (FHOBCs). Findings Findings suggest that three personality traits – extraversion, openness to experiences and altruism – are positively correlated with OCE. OCE is related to two types of perceived value, namely, social value and aesthetic value. The personal values of conservation and self-enhancement moderate the relationships between the three identified personality traits and OCE. Research limitations/implications Future research into OCE should consider the application of this study’s conceptual framework across different cultures to account for the fast-changing nature of online communities. Practical implications Understanding how personality traits drive OCE and what value consumers receive from engagement in online communities can help managers to better segment and evaluate consumers. Engagement and levels of activity within these online communities can be improved accordingly. Originality/value This study’s contribution to the OCE literature is threefold. First, the study provides new insights regarding personality traits as antecedents of consumer engagement with FHOBCs. Second, the study reveals the first insights into the role of personal values in the relationship between personality traits and OCE. Specifically, conservation and self-enhancement emerged as moderators of the relationship between three personality traits (extraversion, openness to experiences, altruism) and OCE. Third, the study yields support for perceived value types (social value and aesthetic value) that emerge as consequences of consumer engagement in FHOBCs.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin F. McManus ◽  
Sergio W. Carvalho ◽  
Valerie Trifts

Purpose This study aims to explore the role of brand personality traits in explaining how different levels of brand favorability evoke affect from and forge connections to consumers. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a quantitative approach consisting of within-subjects (Study 1) and between-subjects (Study 2) experimental designs. Mediation analyses were tested using OLS regression with the MEMORE and PROCESS macros. Findings Findings suggest increases in brand excitement and sincerity to be related to differences in positive affect evoked by favorable and unfavorable brands; decreases in brand sincerity to be related to differences in negative affect between favorable and unfavorable brands (Study 1); brand competence and excitement to be related to the relationship between brand favorability and self-brand connection; and brand competence and excitement to best distinguish favorable brands from unfavorable brands (Study 2). Originality/value These results support the importance of brand personality traits that are considered to be universally positive and provide managers with an initial roadmap for which brand personality traits should be prioritized when communicating with consumers.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanika Lakmali ◽  
Kanagasabai Kajendra

PurposeThis study aims to explore customer personality traits as an antecedent of customer citizenship behaviour which positively facilitates service providers.Design/methodology/approachThis study follows the positivism research paradigm. Hence, primary data were collected from 250 homestay visitors who stayed at five selected homestays located at Mirissa homestay zone, Sri Lanka.FindingsThe present study's findings reveal that “agreeableness,” “extraversion” and “conscientiousness” personality traits promote customer citizenship behaviour. Furthermore, the openness to “experience” trait identified to have a statistically insignificant relationship with CCB and neuroticism recorded a positive impact on the relationship between CCB and personality, contrary to the existing literature.Practical implicationsThis study comprehensively explains how service providers should arrange their service facilities to increase customer willingness to perform citizenship behaviour, which helps develop their services.Originality/valuePrevious research has investigated that customer personality in terms of prosocial and proactive nature impacts CCBs. In contrast, the effect of Big Five personality traits on CCB is highlighted in this study.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Bowden ◽  
Abas Mirzaei

Purpose Brands are investing heavily in content marketing within digital communication channels, yet there is limited understanding of the effectiveness of this content on consumer engagement. This paper aims to examine how consumer engagement with branded content is created through consumer-initiated online brand communities (OBCs) and brand-initiated digital content marketing (DCM) communications. Self-brand connections are examined as an important antecedent to the cognitive, affective, behavioural and social dimensions of consumer engagement and the subsequent impact of engagement on loyalty is explored across these two channels. Design/methodology/approach A survey approach was used with two consumer samples for one focal retail brand, namely, a consumer-initiated OBC (Facebook) and email subscribers of the retail brand’s DCM communications. A multi-group analysis of structural invariance procedure was used to comparatively examine the formation of engagement for consumers within the OBC and DCM channels. Findings This study demonstrates the different ways in which engagement forms across different digital communication channels. Self-brand connection (SBC) was found to strongly drive behavioural, cognitive, affective and social engagement. The cognitive, affective and behavioural engagement was found to mediate the self-brand connection and consumer loyalty relationship. Overall, this relationship was most strongly and significantly mediated by affective and cognitive engagement within the OBC channel when compared to the DCM channel. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study should be interpreted with several limitations in mind. First, the research was conducted within the confines of one OBC, within one social networking site platform characterised by self-selected membership based on a passion and immersion with the brand. This means that consumers within the OBC were highly connected to one another and the retail brand and highly socialised in-group norms and mores. This type and intensity of connection may not be the case for all forms of OBCs. Second, this study was limited to one retail brand, from one brand category. Future research should examine OBCs across a range of utilitarian and hedonic brands to comprehensively contextualise the dimensions of engagement. Third, the data for this study was cross-sectional. The use of netnographic analysis and qualitative interviews across a range of OBCs would support the triangulation of the findings of this research, especially with regard to the narrative that consumers’ express when discussing how their SBC manifests through the dimensions of engagement. Fourth, this study explored a single antecedent of engagement, namely, self-brand connections. Future research may consider how SBC operates in conjunction with other complementary factors to enhance consumers’ affective, cognitive, social and behavioural engagement such as brand awareness, satisfaction and participation/interactivity. In addition, future research could examine an expanded array of engagement outcomes such as purchase intention, the share of wallet and reputation. Finally, future research should examine the operationalisation and validation of the dimensions of engagement using multiple competing scales to assess the suitability of these engagement scales across multiple brand categories and contexts. Practical implications Given the increasing investment in branding within social media and the fragmentation of brand communications across multiple communications platforms, the management of effective brand communications remains a significant challenge. This study found that the relationship between self-brand connections, affective, social, behavioural and cognitive engagement and loyalty was context-specific and moderated by a digital communication channel (OBC vs DCM email marketing), thus providing insights as to the effectiveness of OBCs and DCMs as two tools for enhancing consumer loyalty. Originality/value This study makes a novel contribution to the engagement literature by examining the antecedent role of self-brand connections in predicting consumers’ engagement; the moderating role of digital communication platforms (OBC vs DCM) on the formation of cognitive, affective, behavioural and social engagement; and the mediating effect of these dimensions on loyalty.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bilal Ahmad ◽  
Sajid Iqbal ◽  
Mahnoor Hai ◽  
Shahid Latif

Purpose This paper aims to examine the mediating role of relational mobile usage on the relationship between personal values (individualism, collectivism and academic self-efficacy) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among the faculty members of higher education/degree-awarding institutes (DAIs) in Pakistan. The paper also examines the moderating role of gender on the relationship between relational mobile usage and OCB. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional data from 217 faculty members of higher education/DAIs in Pakistan were collected through an online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling technique using SmartPLS was used to assess the measurement and structural model. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used for data normality analysis, missing value analysis and variable calculation. Response and non-response bias were also examined. Findings The findings confirmed that individualism was not significantly related to relational mobile usage; however, collectivism and academic self-efficacy were significantly related to relational mobile usage. The relationship of relational mobile usage and OCB was also significant. The mediating role of relational mobile usage on the relationship between individualism and OCB was not significant; however, the mediating role of relational mobile usage between collectivism and OCB, and academic self-efficacy and OCB was significant. The moderating role of gender on the relationship between relational mobile usage and OCB was also significant. Practical implications DAIs’ administration should strive to encourage individuals to value group priorities over the individualistic interests. Valuing group interest over the individualistic interest would promote the usage of mobile technology for relational purpose. This relational perspective of mobile usage will ultimately develop OCB among individuals. Also, academic self-efficacy through relational mobile usage can lead to OCB; therefore, another important policy implication for the administration of DAIs is to develop academic self-efficacy among the stakeholders of the institutions. Originality/value Although OCB has become a theoretically mature concept, the framework proposed for this study has rarely been discussed in previous scholarships, particularly from the perspective of relational mobile usage. Arguably, this study is the first in testing the mediating role of relational mobile usage between the personal values and OCB within the context of academia in Pakistan.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 100-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Youl Ha ◽  
Myung-Soo Lee ◽  
Swinder Janda

Purpose – It has previously been noted that channel relationships are more richly understood when viewed over time. Moreover, there is a lack of research on how two types of satisfaction (economic and social satisfaction) have differential effects on partner trust over time. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether (and if so how) these two types of satisfaction have differential effects on partner trust from the initial stage of channel relationship to the subsequent relationship period. Design/methodology/approach – Longitudinal data are used in an effort to understand the dynamic process of channel relationships over time. Findings – It is found that over time, the strength of the relationship between economic satisfaction and partner trust decreases, while the effect of social satisfaction on partner trust increases. Interestingly, the direct effect of perceived value on partner trust dramatically decreases from time point T to T + 1, indicating that these relationships exhibit significant temporal effects. Research limitations/implications – The most relevant theoretical implication is that social satisfaction has a desirable role of bridging the relationship between perceived value and partner trust at time points T and T + 1. Thus, social satisfaction is a key factor in sustaining a channel partnership over time even after initial perceived value has been enhanced via the route of economic satisfaction. The main limitation is that data were collected in South Korea – further validation would require data from multiple cultural contexts. Practical implications – Results provide important implications for channel members aiming to enhance trust with partners. In initial stages of a relationship, channel members should concentrate their marketing resources on enhancing economic satisfaction, as it plays a key role in enhancing trust. As channel relationships evolve, the role of social satisfaction between perceived value and partner trust becomes more important. Thus, in the latter stages of a relationship, it would be prudent to focus more on activities which enhance social satisfaction. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is very little research focusing on temporal carryover effects. The authors thus contribute to the establishment and testing of temporal carryover effects of various business-to-business (B2B) relationship-related constructs, such as perceived value, economic and social satisfaction and partner trust.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tat-Huei Cham ◽  
Jun-Hwa Cheah ◽  
Hiram Ting ◽  
Mumtaz Ali Memon

PurposeDespite being a popular topic in sports tourism research, limited studies have focused on golf tourism in relation to destination image. The present study aimed to examine the impact of country-related factors on the destination image among golf tourists as well as the interrelationships between perceived service quality, perceived value, satisfaction and behavioural intention in this context in the Malaysian context. Excitement was also examined as a moderator of the relationship between satisfaction and behavioural intention.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from 360 golf tourists using a self-administered questionnaire at the two largest airports (KLIA and KLIA2) in Malaysia. Data analysis was performed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique.FindingsThe findings present the significance of country-related factors (i.e. accessibility, safety and security and golf course setting) in determining the image of Malaysia as a golf tourism destination. Destination image, in turn, is found to influence golf tourists' perceived service quality, perceived value and satisfaction; with both perceived service quality and perceived value acting as mediators between destination image and satisfaction. Moreover, the moderation assessment confirms that the level of excitement about golfing in Malaysia strengthens the relationship between their satisfaction and behavioural intention.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few that focuses on the consequential importance of destination image within the golf tourism setting. It highlights the mediating role of perceived service quality and perceived value as well as the moderating role of excitement in understanding the effect of destination image on satisfaction and behavioural intention of golf tourists.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nargess Malakooti Asl ◽  
Mojtaba Kaffashan Kakhki ◽  
Mehri Parirokh

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between customers’ knowledge management and their loyalty to academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted by the descriptive-survey method. After determining the validity and the reliability of the questionnaire, 400 questionnaires were distributed among the undergraduate students of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM) by stratified sampling method. Finally, 373 questionnaires were considered as the basis for data analysis. Structural equation method was used for data analysis. Findings In this study, nine hypotheses were examined and tested. The results of the path analysis indicated that factors such as perceived value, knowledge about customer, satisfaction, perceived quality, knowledge for customer and knowledge about customer had the most to least impact on customer loyalty to academic libraries. In addition, this study highlighted the role of perceived value. Data analysis showed the important role of perceived value as an interface between customers’ knowledge management and its direct and indirect relationship with them. Practical implications Based on the findings of this study, it seems that the managers and the librarians of academic libraries need to consider the relationship between customers’ knowledge management and perceived quality, as well as the satisfaction of their customers to use the customer knowledge management capacities for developing their loyalty. Originality/value In this case, an effective step can be taken toward developing the knowledge management of users and ultimately encouraging them to show their loyalty to academic libraries and satisfying their information needs and providing the justification for the survival of these types of libraries.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Piper ◽  
Andrea Sestino ◽  
Gianluigi Guido

PurposeThe main purpose of this research is to evaluate Gluttony's role in consumers' compulsive buying behaviour. Specifically, the authors want to identify the main psychological antecedents of the construct (expressed with the Big Five) and the moderating effects of shopping motives (in the two dimensions hedonism and utilitarianism).Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses were tested by applying survey data from 335 participants to a mediation model with a moderator.FindingsThe results show that consciousness adversely affects gluttony, while neuroticism has a positive impact on it. Gluttony, in turn, mediates the relationship between these personality traits and compulsive buying behaviour. Finally, contrary to what might be expected, only utilitarianism accentuates the effect of gluttony on compulsive buying behaviour.Practical implicationsUsing these results, managers and policymakers can create more effective strategies for their commercial or awareness initiatives.Originality/valueThis study clarifies the role of gluttony in consumer behaviour by identifying the underlying personality traits.


2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yin Bai ◽  
Wei-ping Wu ◽  
Millissa F.Y. Cheung

Purpose This study aims to investigate the mediating role of shopping intention and the moderating roles of employee incompetence and consumer similarity in the relationship between consumers’ personal traits and their shoplifting behaviors Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the authors develop and test a model that links personality traits to shoplifting intention and behavior. The results from a sample of 507 consumers. Findings The results from a sample of 507 consumers show that shoplifting intention mediates the effects of personality traits (materialism, alienation and sensation seeking) on shoplifting behavior. In addition, both employee incompetence and consumer similarity are found to moderate the relationship between shoplifting intention and behavior. The findings offer some useful theoretical and managerial implications. Originality/value Drawing on the TPB, the authors investigate how personality traits (i.e. materialism, sensation seeking and consumer alienation) influence shoplifting behavior via shoplifting intention. They find that the effects of materialism, sensation seeking and alienation on shoplifting behavior are mediated by shoplifting intention. More importantly, they also find strong support for the moderating roles of employee incompetence and consumer similarity on the relationship between shoplifting intention and behavior. While employee incompetence enhances the relationship between shoplifting intention and shoplifting behavior, consumer similarity negatively moderates the relationship between shoplifting intention and shoplifting behavior.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Williamson Smith ◽  
Michael M. DeNunzio ◽  
Nicholas J. Haynes ◽  
Aneeqa Thiele

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of appraisals in three stressor–well-being relationships: (1) the mediating role of challenge appraisals in the relationship between daily skill demands and daily work engagement, (2) the mediating role of hindrance appraisals in the relationship between daily interruptions and daily depletion and (3) the mediating role of threat appraisals in the relationship between daily emotional demands and daily anxiety. We also examined the moderating influence of conscientiousness on the daily skill demands–challenge appraisal relationship, the moderating role of extraversion on the daily interruptions–hindrance appraisal relationship and the moderating influence of neuroticism on the daily emotional demands–threat appraisal relationship. Supplemental analyses also examined the moderating influence of the aforementioned personality traits on the respective direct effects of stressors on well-being outcomes.Design/methodology/approachWe tested our hypotheses using a 5-days experience sampling design in a sample of 114 working adults and employed multilevel modeling.FindingsAll hypothesized mediating mechanisms were supported, however, the majority of moderation hypotheses were not supported.Originality/valueWe sought to extend the relatively recent advancement in the challenge–hindrance framework to provide additional evidence of the utility of distinguishing between challenge, hindrance and threat stressors. Although not supported, this is the one of the first papers to test the moderating influence of personality traits on the stressor–appraisal relationship.


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