Engagement platforms

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of emotions in developing customer engagement and brand image during virtual service interactions. The authors explore the concept of engagement platforms (EPs) and how their extrinsic characteristics or cues (i.e. C2C interactions–and personalization-related cues) originate both non-transactional (i.e. customer engagement and brand image) and transactional (i.e. purchase intentions) responses. Specifically, the authors propose that customer emotions (i.e. pleasure, arousal and dominance) mediate the influence of EP cues on customer responses. The authors also analyze how the engagement developed during interactions in EPs contributes to brand image perceptions and the effect of these two concepts on purchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach Building on servicescapes and stimulus-organism-response theories, the present paper carries out two studies. Study 1 adopts an experimental approach to explore C2C interactions–and personalization-related cues. Study 2 focusses on the importance of customer emotions to foster engagement and brand image, and also analyzes their effect on purchase intentions. It employs structural equations modeling techniques. Both studies analyze the effect of customer engagement on brand image. Findings Findings corroborate that, during interactions in the platform, customer engagement with the firm influences brand image. Moreover, the pleasure and arousal experienced by customers influence their engagement while dominance modifies brand image. Finally, customer engagement and brand image have a positive effect on purchase behavior. Research limitations/implications This paper contributes to research demonstrating the key role of emotions in interactions with EPs. The authors demonstrate the importance of fostering pleasant and arousing experiences to enhance the level of customer engagement with the firm in first interactions. Dominance constitutes a key dimension to improve brand image in EPs. Finally, the research demonstrates that engagement develops customers’ transactional behaviors and not only non-transactional ones, as seen in previous literature. Originality/value In digital worlds, EPs emerge as touch points beyond purchase that allow individuals to integrate resources and co-create value between them and with the firm. Despite the interest of BCPs, few works have analyzed how interactions with these platforms and the elicited emotions contribute to developing customer engagement and brand image, key factors for understanding customer participation and behavior in interactive media.

Factors Affecting the Purchase Intention of Virtual Goods in Mobile Game Clash Royale

“…As pointed out, the brand image is recognized by the players' mind, originated from their memory. The data supports that it is very likely that the brand image players hold obtained through their interaction with each other, influences their positive attitudes towards their purchasing behavior (Blasco-Arcas et al, 2016;Teng & Laroche, 2007).…”

“…The image of a brand is perceived by consumers' mind resulting in beliefs can also affect purchase intention as shown by previous studies (Murtiasih et al, 2013;Zhu et al, 2015). It is very likely such brand image generated from interactions between consumers and also consumer-brand interaction could influence positive attitude towards purchasing products from a brand (Blasco-Arcas et al, 2016;Teng & Laroche, 2007). H5.…”

“…Cues related to interactions between players refer to aspects that offer the possibility of them developing -connectedness‖ or friendships thus fostering their interactions (Blasco-Arcas et al, 2016). These aspects allow them to contribute and generate new content such as online fan art on social media while enhancing their connectivity and participation between them (Libai et al, 2010).…”

Engagement in Healthcare Systems: Adopting Digital Tools for a Sustainable Approach

“…(a) Customer engagement in health engagement platforms defined as touch points that allow individuals to integrate resources and co-create value with each other and the firm beyond purchase [4,29,32,50], and identified through the cognitive component, which referred to the cognitive processing activated by the customer of the brand/organization during the consumer/brand interaction [51]; the affective component refers to the degree of affection that the consumer has for the brand in the consumer-brand/organization interaction [51], and the behavioral component is defined as the time, energy, and effort that a consumer spends on the brand/organization during the consumer-brand interaction [51]. (b) Social sustainability is defined as a genuine and credible long-term engagement in all business activities that are lived with consciousness and responsibility [52].…”

“…It is also possible to argue that the platforms of engagement in this sense help and support this new mechanism of self-regulation of welfare processes with the aim of adapting, supporting, and facilitating the correct and circular disclosure of information in a way that reduces costs and is accessible for patients and doctors. Currently, the literature on customer engagement platforms demonstrates the link between platform use, satisfaction, and customer loyalty [32,50,69]. In particular, it has been shown that the emotional dimension of engagement has an effect on the return to use of the platform, on its word of mouth feedback, and on its fidelity [32,50,68,70].…”