The Effect of Customer Engagement on Customer Co-Creation Value in Virtual Communities

Abstract

Co-creation value includes value for firm and value for customer. An empirical study has been done in online brand communities to test the effect of customer engagement on customer co-crea-tion value (customer-perceived value and customer value creation behavior for company). The results show that customer engagement affects customer-perceived functional, emotional, and so-cial value positively, and in different brand communities, these effects are significantly different. Beside, customer-perceived functional value affects customer purchase behavior positively; social value has significant and positive impacts on customer referral behavior and knowledgeable be-havior; emotional value does not influence customer value creation behavior significantly. This study contributes to the literature in better understanding the role of customer engagement in customer value co-creation process, and helps managers to manage customers' non-transaction behavior effectively.