Customer-to-customer value co-creation in different service settings

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to identify and classify the types of value stemming from cooperative creation of experience among customers present in various social and interaction-rich service settings, thus leading to customer–customer value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory qualitative study uses phenomenological approach and involves ten semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted in different interaction-rich service settings. The interviews were analysed using soft laddering interview technique to uncover various customer-to-customer (C2C) co-created values. Findings Based upon the literature available and the interviews conducted, the types of value classified in this study are hedonic value (further classified as relational/social/interactional value, emotional value, epistemic/novelty/learning/information-seeking, personal value and symbolic/expressive value), atmospheric value and economic/utilitarian value (efficiency and quality). Research limitations/implications One of the major limitations would be the small number of interviews conducted in a few service setups, which makes it difficult to generalise the results. Also, customer–customer interactions, leading to value co-creation online, were not considered. Practical implications By facilitating C2C value co-creation, service firms would be able to obtain increased contributory support among customers and also facilitate its customers in providing superior customer experience indirectly to others present, which is considered to be the ultimate goal of a firm. Originality/value This would be among the first studies to classify the types of value taking place when customers interact among themselves and to provide concrete suggestions for the managers fostering C2C value co-creation during a service.

Modelling perceived service quality and turnover intentions in gender‐segregated environments

“…Structured exercise is also underpinned by motives centred on physical, psychological, and social benefit (Chen et al., 2020; Polyakova & Mirza, 2016). This includes general enjoyment and interest in sports; a desire to lose weight and/or improve one's physical appearance; and recognition of the social value of exercise (Pandey & Kumar, 2020). Yet, as individuals from diverse backgrounds participate in co‐creation practices therein, it is difficult to predict fitness club customer behaviour (Chiu et al., 2019).…”

Customer co-creation, COVID-19 and sustainable service outcomes

“…A qualitative research inclined towards positivism requires larger samples, however, in-depth qualitative research may lead to data saturation with even 12 cases in homogeneous population (Boddy, 2016). Customer involvement and co-creation studies have sample sizes ranging from six to ten interviews (Pandey and Kumar, 2020; Melander, 2019; Engström and Elg, 2015). Thus, a purposive sampling was employed in this study.…”

What are the social and personal drivers to engage in co-creation? A study of UK 7–13-year-olds

“…For companies, value is created through the integrated actions of both brand and consumer that provide insight into their specific needs and wants (Pedeliento et al , 2020). Lusch and Vargo (2006) explained that value is created by customers who physically supply them with solutions (Cova and Dalli, 2009) and in this process the customer is exalted (Pandey and Kumar, 2020). Thus, it is increasingly important that we understand consumers’ drivers to volunteer as working consumers and become part of the brand co-creation dynamic (Cova et al , 2015).…”

“…Part of this social paradigm is the desire to share information. This is a dynamic interaction (Frasquet-Deltoro et al , 2019) as the brands, products and indeed the social elements of a given community evolve rapidly (Pandey and Kumar, 2020). Individuals are empowered to share information (Akman et al , 2019) given the very nature of the virtual environment, with this in turn building long term relationships (Sarmah et al , 2018).…”

“…A significant body of research has developed that explores the antecedents of consumer engagement in co-creation (Verleye, 2015), invariably through the lens of the service-dominant (S-D) logic approach and with an emphasis on aspects of co-conception, co-design, coproduction, and co-promotion (Pandey and Kumar, 2020). However, these contributions have invariably utilised adult samples (Sarkar and Banerjee, 2019), limiting what is known about children's co-creative behaviours, despite the acknowledgement in the literature that branduser characteristics impact upon co-creation activity (Trischler et al, 2017).…”