Sustainable Value Co-Production and Co-Creation in Virtual Reality: An Exploratory Research on Business-to-Business Interactions

Abstract

The objective of this study is to identify the environment for business interactions in virtual reality in the value co-production and co-creation process and to understand how such an environment enables the sustainable development of co-creational activities. This paper takes the concepts of value co-production and co-creation and presence and the Actors, Resources, and Activities Model as conceptual references for the exploration of interactions in virtual reality. Using ten in-depth interviews with senior managers, this paper takes an exploratory case analysis perspective. Results show how the sense of presence—level of immersion to which a medium that produces seemingly accurate representations of objects, events, and people, can submerge the perceptual system of a user—is the primary technical resource enabling the performance of value co-production and co-creational activities inside VR simulations. Additionally, the VR consultants and the hiring firms become the actors, organizing the value-co-production and co-creation practices; those customers and employees are the actors performing five co-creational activities that can result in valuable outcomes for the VR consultants and the hiring firms. Virtual reality is one of the newest vehicles used for the co-production and co-creation of value, for innovating existing products, for sustainable creation of new marketing offerings, or for managing network relations. This study contributes to existent literature by showing the process and practice of value co-production and value co-creation taking place in virtual reality simulations in B2B settings.

Identifying the Value Co-Creation Model and Upgrading Path of Manufacturing Enterprises from the Value Network Perspective

“…Based on applying social media digital networks and platforms [67] to facilitate value co-creation [14]. Most manufacturing value network actors should apply more new technologies including artificial intelligence [68], virtual reality [69], virtual communities [70], digital twins, and so on [71] to integrate resources, competencies, and responsibilities to attain new value co-created. Moreover, manufacturing enterprises should take the open innovation way to encounter the challenges of sustainability and value co-creation [4], such as sustainable production, green value innovation [72], and circular co-creation ecosystem construction [73].…”

The evolution of B2B strategies in the rise of value co-creation and service management

“…The suppliers are expected to be more resilient and enhance their resilience capacity to adjust to changes required to meet customer demands (Ali et al ., 2021). Research on B2B marketing in manufacturing industries escalates elements of social media (Cartwright et al ., 2021), artificial intelligence (Giri et al ., 2019) (Li et al ., 2021), circular economy (Jacometti, 2019; Provin et al ., 2021), innovation (Bertola and Teunissen, 2018), co-production and co-creation (Royo-Vela et al ., 2022), to name a few. This reinforces the contemporary B2B marketing strategies of relationship, sustainability, innovation and digitalization as seen in the earlier sections.…”

“…The industry is known for its complexity that involves long and complex supply chains that include production, raw material, fabric manufacturing, pattern construction, shipping, retail and finally the disposal of the garment (Jacometti, 2019). Co-creation and co-production are becoming increasingly important in the B2B scenario which leads to development of relationships within the stakeholders as co-production enables a customer's influence on a supplier's resources, processes, products, services, or solutions (Royo-Vela et al ., 2022). Managing all stakeholders and working as a network is key in managing these relationships and at the same time understanding the end customer and their motivation to make purchase decisions is essential in developing effective marketing strategies to perform and sustain in the market.…”

“…The importance of social media and influencers have been a marketing tool and simultaneously a database of information that requires management and sharing to successfully co-create products and services with their supply chain. The concept of a virtual environment where value co-creation and co-production are encouraged for sustainable development in the B2B context is gaining popularity (Royo-Vela et al, 2022). The influx of innovation in product helps to manage the product life cycle by extending the shelf life which in turn enables manufacturers to delve into process innovation to re-engineer products (Krasyuk et al, 2019).…”