Value Co-creation in Online Shopping

Abstract

This research presents a critical analysis of value co-creation in online shopping based on a decade of academic marketing literature. It was carried out with quantitative-bibliometric and bibliographic-and qualitative content analysis. The identification of main theories, paradigms and constructs, as well as research cliques, helps in establishing the theoretical framework necessary for an incipient research field such as this. The analysis identified four main research lines: customers as co-creators within the interaction with companies; customer-employee co-creation issues; customers' interaction with other clients resulting in co-creation; and the impacts of social network resources in online shopping behavior. A crucial factor regarding co-creation in online settings is that the advances of technology empowered consumers. Additionally, customer co-creation is at the core of online shopping innovations, and the interactivity provided by the online shopping setting is ideal for value co-creation to flourish. Nevertheless, this is still a new research area and relevant studies are scarce. Understanding the latest advances in value co-creation in online shopping and what lies ahead is essential in grasping the structure of digital commerce in the era of service logic.