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The online purchase as a context for co-creating experiences. Drivers of and consequences for customer behavior

Lorena Blasco-Arcas (Marketing Department, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain)
Blanca Hernandez-Ortega (Marketing Department, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain)
Julio Jimenez-Martinez (Marketing Department, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain)

Internet Research

ISSN: 1066-2243

Article publication date: 27 May 2014

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the concept of engagement platforms and the theories of co-creation of value to analyze the purchase as a context for customers to co-create their own experiences. Specifically, the paper proposes that including online cues related to Customer to customer (C2C) interactions and coproduction in the engagement platform determines customer co-creation experiences. Moreover, the paper tests for the relationship between the co-creation experience and customer's purchase intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

An online platform was designed and a purchase situation was simulated, in which the participants were asked to buy a pair of sneakers. To make the experience more realistic, participants could navigate and undertake activities related to the available cues, thus obtaining a direct experience of the possibilities of the platform. Structural equation modeling analyses were used to test the hypothesized relationships.

Findings

The results confirm the importance of including cues related to C2C interactions and coproduction in order to increase co-creation experience possibilities for the customer during the online purchase. Moreover, if customers perceive that they are co-creating the experience, their purchase intentions increase.

Practical implications

This paper addresses the importance of virtual engagement platforms as touch points for interaction and the importance of their characteristics for facilitating co-creation. These platforms provide customers with cues that promote their participation, the establishment of collaborative relationships and the co-creation of the purchase experience.

Originality/value

There is a growing interest in understanding how customers interact with firms to co-create experiences and in the influence of IT-related service in this process. Nevertheless, to date, the online purchase experience as a co-creation context has not been fully investigated.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their constructive comments on this paper. This research is supported by Cátedra Telefónica de la Universidad de Zaragoza, I+D+I project (Ref: ECO2011-23027) from the Government of Spain, and the project “GENERES” (Ref: S-09) from the Government of Aragon.

Citation

Blasco-Arcas, L., Hernandez-Ortega, B. and Jimenez-Martinez, J. (2014), "The online purchase as a context for co-creating experiences. Drivers of and consequences for customer behavior", Internet Research, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 393-412. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-02-2013-0023

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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