Customer Participation in Virtual Communities for Local High Streets
Betzing Jan Hendrik, Kurtz Michael, Becker Jörg
Research article (journal) | Peer reviewedAbstract
Customers increasingly substitute personal interaction that formerly took high streets with digital participation in retail-related virtual communities (VC) and social shopping sites. This work investigates the potential adoption of a VC to the high street to strengthen its competitive position. We assess customers' motives for participating in such a VC and its effect on customers' intention to visit the high street. We field an online survey with 402 participants that builds upon uses and gratifications theory. Our results suggest that receiving and sharing information are the most influential drivers of high street VC participation, which, in turn, leads to favorable behavioral responses.
Details about the publication
Journal: Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
Volume: 54
Issue: 102025
Page range: 1-12
Status: Published
Release year: 2020 (27/12/2019)
Language in which the publication is written: English
Keywords: Virtual Community; Participatory Behavior; User-generated Content; Uses and Gratifications Theory; PLS-SEM; Retail
Authors from the University of Münster
| Becker, Jörg | Chair of Information Systems and Information Management (IS) |
| Betzing, Jan | Chair of Information Systems and Information Management (IS) |