Effects of socialization interactions on customer engagement in online travel communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1509-1525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuan Luo ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Chunhua Jin ◽  
Yuan Ni ◽  
Mingli Zhang

Purpose Travel companies are increasingly hosting online communities to extend their initiatives of customer relationship management and gain additional insight into their business. While the benefits to companies from hosting online communities are clear, another closely related issue has not been given comparative attention: Why do customers engage voluntarily in online travel communities? The purpose of this paper is to answer the question by developing and testing a conceptual model that exploring the influence of socialization interactions on customer engagement with the community. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested by applying structural equation modeling based on survey data collected from an online travel community (n=665). Findings The results supported the research hypotheses and demonstrated that socialization interactions (i.e. information and social exchange) in the online travel community are important catalysts for customer engagement. Originality/value The contribution of this study is twofold. First, from a theoretical perspective, it offers new insights into the conceptualization of customer engagement and its antecedents in the context of the online travel community. Second, from a pragmatic perspective, the conceptual model derived from this research aids practitioners in stimulating customer engagement from the perspective of socialization interactions.

2019 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 397-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Belanche ◽  
Luis V. Casaló ◽  
Carlos Flavián ◽  
Miguel Guinalíu

PurposeWith social exchange theory as a basis, the purpose of this paper is to seek a better understanding of advice processes in online travel communities, which offer crucial advice for travelers’ decisions. It also predicts that relational capital variables (commitment, reciprocity perceptions) moderate the main relationships.Design/methodology/approachData from a web survey of 456 users of online travel communities affirm the scale’s validity and provide the input for structural equation modeling and multisample analyses of the hypotheses.FindingsHigher levels of commitment reinforce the effect of following past advice on passive and active participation intentions. Users’ perceptions of reciprocity in the community strengthen the influence of following past advice on active participation. However, a high level of reciprocity causes users following past advice to reduce their intentions to continue following that advice.Practical implicationsManagement tactics should specify active and passive participation in online travel communities. Specifically, to encourage the creation of high-quality new content, community managers should create interactive environments marked by high levels of reciprocity and commitment.Originality/valueThis research elucidates the role of relational capital variables in advice processes and advances understanding of online travel communities.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sertan Kabadayi ◽  
Katherine Price

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study factors affecting consumers’ liking and commenting behavior on Facebook brand pages, and to analyze the mediating role of mode of interaction on relationships between personality traits and liking/commenting behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using an online national survey from 269 respondents, ages between 18 and 32. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings – Results support nine of ten hypotheses with significant relationships between analyzed constructs. It was found that two different modes of interaction acted as mediators between three personality traits and liking/commenting behavior on Facebook. Research limitations/implications – This study only included liking and commenting behavior on Facebook. Future studies could extend the conceptual model by including sharing behavior and other personality traits that were not included in this conceptual model. Practical implications – The findings have several implications for brand managers with respect to their social media strategies and give them guidance in achieving better customer engagement on Facebook. This research is an important step in understanding the factors affecting consumers’ Facebook behavior and useful for practitioners intending to use Facebook as part of their marketing strategy. Originality/value – The study provides a comprehensive framework to understand consumer engagement on Facebook by including specific types of Facebook behavior, three personality traits and two modes of interaction that consumers have in social media.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 1181-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Fu ◽  
Juhee Kang ◽  
Jeeyeon Jeannie Hahm ◽  
Jessica Wiitala

Purpose This paper aims to propose and test a conceptual model of theme park experiences by investigating the relationships among brand experience, self-congruity, flow and brand-related outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from guests who had visited a theme park in the past 12 months. Confirmatory factor analysis, consisting of second-order factor analysis and structural equation modeling with the incorporation of alternative model testing, was employed. Findings The findings revealed that theme park customers’ internalization of brand experience influenced their attitudinal and behavioral tendency with regard to the brand through self-congruity and flow. Practical implications This study provides strategies for theme park designers and marketers under pressure to create a desired experiential setting that motivates visitors to engage in activities through various brand stimuli. Well-designed theme parks can create an optimal state of focus and attention, immersing visitors to the extent that they lose their sense of time and place, affecting their attitude and behavior toward the theme park brand. Originality/value Theme parks provide a highly experiential, immersive and personally relevant experience with brand elements. Very few studies have attempted to investigate the consequences of theme park experience from the theoretical perspective of customers’ connection with the brand. This study proposed and validated a conceptual model to capture how theme park experience influenced visitors’ commitment to and active engagement with theme park brands through the mechanisms of self-congruity and flow.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiawen Chen ◽  
Linlin Liu ◽  
Yong Wang

PurposeThis study investigates business model innovation in small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) and its impact on firm growth.Design/methodology/approachThe study was based on analyzing data collected through a questionnaire survey. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypotheses.FindingsBusiness model innovation has a positive effect on SME growth in the manufacturing sectors. Moreover, growth is also achieved through the indirect effect of business model innovation on customer trust and commitment.Practical implicationsManagers will benefit from understanding how business model innovation can help their companies to overcome resource constraints and achieve sustained growth. When manufacturing SMEs engage in modular or structural changes to their business model, they may find it worthwhile to focus on maintaining a relationship of trust and commitment with their customers.Originality/valueThis study highlights business model innovation as a unique and important, yet underexplored, factor in manufacturing SME growth. The findings also untangle the complex processes of customer relationship management by which business model innovation improves manufacturing competitive advantage for SMEs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 1154-1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Chen ◽  
Judy Drennan ◽  
Lynda Andrews ◽  
Linda D. Hollebeek

PurposeThis paper aims to propose user experience sharing (UES) as a customer-based initiation of value co-creation pertaining to service provision, which represents customers’ level of effort made for the direct benefit of others in their service network. The authors propose and empirically examine a user experience sharing model (UESM) that explicates customer-to-customer (C2C) UES and its impacts on firm-desired customer-based outcomes in online communities.Design/methodology/ApproachBased on an extensive review, the authors conceptualize UES and UESM. By using online survey data collected from mobile app users in organic online communities, the authors performed structural equation modeling analyses by using AMOS 24.FindingsThe results support the proposed UESM, showing that C2C UES acts as a key driver of both firm-desired customer efforts and customer insights. The results also confirmed that service-dominant (S-D) logic-informed motivational drivers exert a significant impact on C2C UES. Importantly, C2C UES mediates the relationship between S-D logic-informed motivational drivers and firm-desired customer-based outcomes.Originality/valueThis study offers a pioneering attempt to develop an overarching concept, UES, which reflects customers’ initiation of value co-creation, and to empirically examine C2C UES. The empirical evidence supports the key contention that firms should proactively facilitate C2C UES.


Author(s):  
Nada Hammad ◽  
Syed Zamberi Ahmad ◽  
Avraam Papastathopoulos

Purpose This paper aims to investigate residents’ perceptions of tourism’s impact on their support for tourism development in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from Abu Dhabi residents (n = 407), who represented 30 nationalities residing in the emirate. Based on social exchange theory, structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses. Findings Results suggest that Abu Dhabi residents perceive the impacts of tourism positively and are more sensitive to the environmental and economic influences of tourism than the social and cultural influences. Research limitations/implications This study was limited to Abu Dhabi residents; findings cannot be generalized to other emirates in the UAE, or other countries. Originality/value This study adds value to extant tourism literature by investigating residents’ perceptions of the influence of tourism in one of the richest cities worldwide, which aspires to be one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the Middle East.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Escobar-Sierra ◽  
Alejandra García-Cardona ◽  
Fidel León-Darder

Purpose In this regard, this paper aims to wonder how willing to co-create sustainable practices customers of irresponsible Industry 4.0 (I4.0) companies are? With this purpose, the authors began introducing I4.0 and sustainability, showing their theoretical gaps. Design/methodology/approach I4.0 has recently spread with its technological developments and social, economic and political ambitions, facing challenges-related, for example, to the implementation of sustainable practices and the stakeholders’ participation. Findings Then the authors conduct a literature review following a sequential mix-method approach that begins with a bibliometric analysis and ends with a content study to propose a conceptual model for I4.0 and sustainability. Once the authors understood the theoretical gaps in the framework of the conceptual model, the authors conducted an empirical verification between clients of a Colombian company of the I4.0 belonging to the logistic sector, specifically of the deliveries, asking them about the labor issues that the company faces with delivery people and their willingness to co-create. The authors analyzed the collected data through a structural equation modeling model, where the authors found that customers’ willingness to co-create depends on intrinsic behaviors like “responsible behavior,” followed by extrinsic behaviors such as “helping.” Originality/value In fact, stakeholders may support companies, but customers must learn how to assume a critical posture during their purchase decision.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abinash Panda ◽  
Subhashis Sinha ◽  
Nikunj Kumar Jain

PurposeGuided by social exchange, broaden and build and conservation of resources theoretical perspectives, this study explores the moderated mediating role of supervisory support (SS) on the relationship between job meaningfulness (JM) on job performance (JP) through employee engagement (EE).Design/methodology/approachField data were collected from two hundred and nineteen executives and their thirty-eight supervisors of a large paint manufacturing industry through a time-lagged research design and was analyzed with partial least squares based structural equation modeling.FindingsFindings of this study indicate that JM mediated by EE contributes to JP, which means if an employee finds one's job meaningful, she/he is likely to be more engaged emotionally, psychologically and cognitively to deliver better JP. SS is also found to be salient as it moderates both direct and indirect relationships between JM and JP through EE.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralizability of the findings of this study should be done with caution. Though the study has time-laggard data from two different sources but missing longitudinal data restricts causality of relationships/findings.Practical implicationsThese findings are relevant for organizations given that organizational leaders can create a context, by appropriate job design and engaging work context that motivates employees to perform better in their jobs. Insights of this study will be useful for organizations to curate meaningful jobs for their employees and also groom leaders with requisite skills and competencies to help subordinates perform up to their potential.Originality/valueThis study is an attempt toward a better understanding of the interplay of JM, work engagement and SS on JP in a manufacturing set-up in India, which has not been hitherto examined in Indian context.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 1138-1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhaily Mohd-Ramly ◽  
Nor Asiah Omar

Purpose The global retail landscape has changed drastically. The rising role of Asia as one of the fastest growing international retail penetration and expansion will continue to make the region to be the driving force in world economic growth. However, the ambitious expansion plans are making the retail sector to be more challenging. Emphasizing on the customer experience and enhancing the value proposition to customers are undeniably vital factors for the long-term survival of any retail business. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of store attributes on customer experience and customer engagement in the context of department store in Malaysia. Subsequently, the influence of customer experience on customer engagement is also analyzed. Design/methodology/approach Using drop and collect survey, 484 valid responses of department store cardholders of age 18 years and above in the area Klang Valley, Malaysia, were collected. PLS structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses of this study. Findings Results revealed that customer experience is influenced by merchandise, store atmosphere, and loyalty program, while customer engagement is influenced by merchandise, communication, interpersonal communication, and loyalty. In contrast, post-transaction services were found to have non-significant impact on both customer experience and customer engagement. Analysis also revealed a strong relationship between customer experience and customer engagement. Research limitations/implications This study is carried out on customers of department store in Malaysia. However, the researchers urge other researchers to replicate the study from different countries and category of department stores. Originality/value Retail researchers recognize little knowledge on the contribution of store attributes to customer experience and customer engagement. This paper represents original research that encourages foreign retailers to employ service-dominant logic as a new marketing thought in designing strong customer engagement and experience strategies to capture the Malaysia market.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 1153-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheshadri Chatterjee ◽  
Arpan Kumar Kar ◽  
Yogesh K. Dwivedi ◽  
Hatice Kizgin

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the factors influencing the citizens of India to prevent cybercrimes in the proposed Smart Cities of India.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model has been developed for identifying factors preventing cybercrimes. The conceptual model was validated empirically with a sample size of 315 participants from India. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with SPSS and AMOS softwares.FindingsThe study reveals that the “awareness of cybercrimes” significantly influences the actual usage of technology to prevent cybercrimes in Smart Cities of India. The study reveals that government initiative (GI) and legal awareness are less influential in spreading of the awareness of cybercrimes (AOC) to the citizens of the proposed smart cities.Research limitations/implicationsThe conceptual model utilizes two constructs from the technology adoption model, namely, perceived usefulness and ease of use. The study employs other factors such as social media, word of mouth, GIs, legal awareness and organizations constituting entities spreading awareness from different related literature works. Thereby, a comprehensive theoretical conceptual model has been proposed which helps to identify the factors that may help in preventing cybercrimes.Practical implicationsThis study provides an insight to the policy maker to understand several factors influencing the AOC of the citizens of the proposed Smart Cities of India for the prevention of cybercrimes.Originality/valueThere are few existing studies analyzing the effect of AOC to mitigate cybercrimes. Thus, this study offers a novel contribution.


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