Value co-creation in e-commerce contexts: does product type matter?

Based on service-dominant logic (SDL) and related perspectives, which suggest that value is co-created through the integration of resources, the purpose of this study is to propose a model which considers two value co-creation sources: firm resources, in the form of process electronic-service quality (ESQ) and outcome ESQ, and consumer resources, as represented by consumer expertise and its antecedents (i.e. social expertise and Internet skills). The effect of product type on the relationship between both co-creation sources, and the value is analyzed.

This study adopts a post-positivist approach. The study begins with cause and effect thinking to build a literature-driven model. Subsequently, pre-existent measures are adapted to the research context, and a Web-based questionnaire is built. The survey administration process yields 1,024 usable responses from Spanish Internet shoppers. To analyze the validity and reliability of the proposed scales and test the relationships hypothesized, the multivariate statistical techniques confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling are used.

For low-outlay/high-frequency (LO/HF) products, consumers rely more on their own resources, and expertise is more important than process and outcome quality. For high-outlay/low-frequency (HO/LF) products, however, firm resources have a stronger impact.

The study findings may be useful to design e-commerce strategies combining specific ESQ and expertise-related policies according to the type of product offered by the e-service provider.

The empirical study reported here confers similar salience to both consumer resources and firm resources to explain value perception, which is unusual. This is the first study addressed to explain perceived value in a business-to-consumer e-commerce context by jointly considering firm resources (process ESQ and outcome ESQ), consumer resources (expertise) and product type. The moderating effect of product type is consistent with insights from prior marketing research but counterintuitive. It could be thought that expertise should be more important for HO/LF products, which is contrary to the results of this study.