Repurchase loyalty for customer social co-creation e-marketplaces

Purpose - Social co-creation refers to the process of using social media as a vehicle to carry out customer co-creation engagements. By allowing many customers to contribute to a specific co-creation initiative, social media makes co-creation platforms more efficient. The purpose of this paper is to examine: first, whether usability and information quality, visual appeal and image, interactivity, and web innovativeness, as perceived web site quality dimensions, were related to value equity; second, whether value equity was related to commitment and repurchase loyalty to social co-creation; and third, the moderating effects of aesthetic appreciation and fashion opinion leadership. Design/methodology/approach - The conceptual foundation was based on the Quality-ValueSatisfaction model. Data were collected from US online apparel shoppers (n = 691) using a consumer panel via an online survey. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed model and research hypotheses. Findings - Usability and information quality, visual appeal and image, interactivity, and web innovativeness had indirect influences on commitment and repurchase loyalty, mediated by value equity of social co-creation. Originality/value - This proposed model may provide useful insights for apparel e-retailers to use in order to differentiate their e-strategies and develop successful social co-creation web sites. Furthermore, the proposed strategies will enable apparel e-retailers to fulfill customers' increasing demand for more interactive and online social shopping experiences that utilize the customer's own creativity.