Identifying and Modeling Critical Success Factors for the Customer Behavior in Brand Co-Creation in Digital and Online Businesses

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 1. MSc. in Business Management, Faculty of Financial Science, Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran.

2 2. Assistant Prof. in Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran.

3 assistant professor, department of business administration, faculty of financial science, management and entrepreneurship, university of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

Abstract

Aim and Introduction: The speed of information exchange among people and the rapid changes in markets have greatly accelerated with the growth of the Internet and social networks. Consequently, the customer brand co-creation approach has become particularly important. This approach offers an organic perspective of the brand, replacing the traditional view that limits brand management to the company's management and control. The concept of customer brand co-creation behavior highlights that the brand is shaped and evolved through collaboration with stakeholders. It involves a series of voluntary actions stemming from customer interactions, which are grounded in the relationship between the brand and the customer, and are aligned with value creation for the brand. The cost of switching brands is low for customers of digital and online businesses; therefore, this strategy can be highly effective. Accordingly, it is necessary to examine the critical success factors (CSFs) of customer brand co-creation behavior. The aim of this paper is to identify the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of customer behavior in brand co-creation, as well as to model and determine the most important factors through scenario analysis.
Methodology: This paper is a mixed-methods research study consisting of two stages. In the qualitative stage, the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) were identified through semi-structured interviews conducted with 30 experts specializing in marketing and branding from academic and industrial backgrounds. The collected data is analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. In the quantitative stage, these Critical Success Factors (CSFs) were modeled using the fuzzy cognitive mapping approach and analyzed through scenario analysis. The requested data is collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire distributed among experts. This modeling leads to a better understanding of the relationships between Critical Success Factors (CSFs), helps determine the sequence of factors, and enhances performance. Finally, scenario planning is utilized through the creation of both forward and backward scenarios to enhance the analysis of the model.
Finding: Theme analysis reveals that there are 71 conceptual codes in the form of 19 semantic themes at three general levels that were identified for the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of customer brand co-creation behavior. These levels are "organizational readiness," "community support and governance," and "customer willingness and interaction." The results obtained from scenario analysis illustrate that the "strategic attitude towards co-creation," "expert knowledge in the field of co-creation," and "preparedness of managers" are the most important influential factors. Furthermore, "brand loyalty," "brand trust," and "customer identification with the brand" are the most influential factors.
Discussion and Conclusion: Both forward-facing and backward-facing scenarios, as well as their overlap, highlight the significance of the "strategic attitude of co-creation" and the "readiness of managers." Therefore, companies need to pay special attention to these two factors. The results emphasize the importance of adopting a long-term perspective for managers in brand co-creation, hiring managers based on the necessary competencies for brand co-creation, and providing in-service training.
In developing a strategic approach to brand co-creation within an organization, it is recommended that company managers thoroughly comprehend this concept, understand its potential benefits and drawbacks, analyze the challenges associated with this strategy, and devise a comprehensive plan to attain long-term goals in customer relationships and enhance partnerships with customers. Furthermore, it is recommended that companies consider the benefits of partnering with customers as a strategy for brand growth and development. This approach can enhance their knowledge and enable them to make more informed decisions. Due to the limitations of empirical research, it is suggested that the validity of the causal relationships and hypotheses regarding customer brand co-creation behavior and other variables in branding and marketing should be investigated across different businesses.

Keywords

References

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