Key components of consumer engagement : a firm-hosted virtual customer environment perspective

Abstract

The overarching objective of this research was to develop and test a model of consumer engagement in a virtual customer environment (VCE) in an attempt to advance substantive theory on the key determinants of this engagement. Discovering how the virtual envirormient can be utilised to foster consumer engagement, in order to create value for customers and firms alike, has been noted as a critical but overlooked area in the contemporary marketing literatures. Web 2.0 technologies and, in particular, social media have become a significant impetus for emerging consumer environments. From a marketer’s perspective this presents many challenges, particularly in relation to learning how to operate within the resulting respective shifts in loci of activity, power, and value creation.