The impact of participation in virtual brand communities on consumer trust and loyalty

Abstract

PurposeThe importance of virtual brand communities is growing day by day as a result of consumers increasingly using online tools to contact fellow consumers in order to get information on which to base their decisions. For this reason, this work aims to explore some of the effects of participation in a virtual brand community on consumer behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe paper proposes the positive effects of participation in a virtual community on both consumer trust and loyalty to the product, brand or organisation around which the community is developed. In addition, it also proposes a positive effect of trust on consumer loyalty. After the validations of measurement scales, the hypotheses are contrasted through structural modelling.FindingsThe data, obtained through a web survey using members of several free software virtual communities, show that participation in the activities carried out in a virtual community may foster consumer trust and loyalty to the mutual interest of the community (the free software in this case). In addition, the study also found a positive and significant effect of consumer trust on loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsData were collected thanks to a web survey using Spanish‐speaking subjects.Practical implicationsThe high costs every company has to face in order to get new customers make it increasingly necessary to reinforce the ties established with customers. In this respect, this study has shown that managers may foster consumer trust and loyalty by developing virtual brand communities and promoting consumers' participation in them.Originality/valueMost of the works that are focused on virtual communities have been conducted at the conceptual level. Thus, with the aim of moving on this topic, this study analyses empirically the effects of participation in a virtual brand community on consumer behaviour.

Are Facebook brand community members truly loyal to the brand?

“…Bagozzi and Dholakia (2006) determined that customers' brand loyalty captures aspects of product-related cognitions, brand commitment, and identification with the brand image. The loyalty that customers feel toward a brand may be enhanced by encouraging them to interact within the brand community, thus enhancing identification with and commitment to the brand community and to the brand itself (Algesheimer et al 2005;Casaló et al 2007). However, previous studies have indicated that customers more often engage in non-interactive behaviors, such as "lurking" -observing without actively participating -which may be even more strongly related to brand loyalty than active participation (see Carlson et al 2008;Gummerus et al 2012;Shang et al 2006).…”

“…There is wide agreement that positive WOM reflects brand loyalty (Brown et al 2005;Casaló et al 2007;Royo-Vela & Casamassima 2011). In this study, we define attitudinal loyalty, repurchase intention, and WOM as the outcome variables of brand community commitment and community promotion (cf.…”

“…These positive emotional and behavioral effects are generated by individuals' social interactions with other members of a community, such as giving and receiving brand-related information within a brand community, as well as sharing this information with others outside of the community (Casaló et al 2007). …”

“…Brand owner-led communities enable companies to engage in closer and more collaborative relationships with customers and to gain a better understanding of their behavior (Laroche et al 2012). Online brand communities are understood to be effective platforms for both brand owners and customers (Adjei et al 2010) that enhance the development of loyal customer relationships (Casaló et al 2007;Laroche et al 2012). Brand communities act as a means to enhance customer involvement in marketing dialogue with brands and to foster customer interactions with one another (Hur et al 2011).…”

“…Brand community membership also predicts an individual's behavior within and outside of a community (Algesheimer et al 2005;Casaló et al 2007) and indicates and stimulates his/her purchasing intentions (Cheung & Lee 2012).…”