Self-efficacy, trust, and perceived benefits in the co-creation of value by consumers

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to understand in the ways, in which, trust and other perceived benefits, both in the relationship with the company and with other consumers, as well as the perception of self-efficacy, actually influence the co-creation of value by consumers. Design/methodology/approach - A model involving all these constructs was tested. The study consists of a quantitative approach based on a sample of 362 consumers with diverse age and education profiles that have been using services such as a hairdresser/barber service or mobile or internet telecommunications service. The data were processed by recourse to partial least squares-based structural equation modelling and SmartPLS software. Findings - The results demonstrate that the most significant and relevant factors of influence over consumer co-creation activities are, in descending order of significance, the individual resources of consumers reflected in the perception of self-efficacy, the benefits perceived in relationships with others and trust in the company. Originality/value - This study serves as a contribution towards the better understanding of the factors that may influence the level of co-creation activities ongoing in services. Its contributions reside on the inclusion of variables that influence consumer co-creation activities derived simultaneously from the company and other consumers. This research also contributes by proposing and testing relationships quantitatively not tested by previous studies.