What drives consumers’ active participation in the online channel? Customer equity, experience quality, and relationship proneness

• Published in: Electronic commerce research and applications 2019-05, Vol.35, p.100855, Article 100855
• Main Authors: Cambra-Fierro, Jesús, Xuehui Gao, Lily, Melero-Polo, Iguácel, Javier Sese, F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Customer equity; Experience quality; Non-transactional behaviors; Online financial services; Relationship proneness; Social exchange theory
• ISSN: 1567-4223; 1873-7846
• DOI: 10.1016/j.elerap.2019.100855

•We examine consumer brand relationships through the online channel.•Customer equity is a global assessment of brands, which plays a central role in the customer’s experience.•Customer experience quality is essential for the enhancement of non-transactional behaviors.•Relationship proneness is a moderator which demonstrates strong influence. While the proliferation of online channel has promoted consumerś active participation in the value-creation process, affecting the way consumers transact and interact with brands, this increased consumer empowerment also has its dark side. Drawing from social exchange theory, we aim to offer a unifying framework to understand the linkages between customer equity, experience quality and non-transactional behaviors (including co-creation and word-of-mouth) in an e-commerce context. We also suggest that relationship proneness moderates the established links. With the final valid sample for 761 online banking customers obtained via the survey in a European financial services company, we apply partial least squares and develop a multi-group analysis. Customer equity, as a global assessment of brand, is vital for the development of positive customer experience, which consequently promotes the enforcement of non-transactional behaviors. Finally, relationship proneness strengthens the impact of customer equity and customer experience quality. Implications for theory and management are discussed.