Conceptualising Engagement in a Consumer-to-Consumer Context

Abstract

Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) interactions continue to grow in volume in the marketplace. Consumers interact on online platforms to socialise, exchange digital content and information, and trade. Yet, conceptualisations of engagement in marketing contexts are dominated by models based on consumer-brand or consumer-firm interactions, often conceptualised from the perspective of S-D Logic. Alternative frameworks are required to understand engagement in C2C contexts. This paper reports the results of a qualitative investigation of consumer engagement in one C2C context, the online C2C auction, reflecting an experiential view of the consumer. The research sought to conceptualise engagement in a C2C context, explore the relationship between consumer value and consumer engagement in this context, and the role that consumer engagement might play in encouraging ongoing participation in the consumption activity. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 users of online C2C auctions. Three contrasting approaches to analysis were applied to the qualitative dataset – phenomenological analysis of stories of consumption, thematic analysis of interview transcripts, and content analysis to identify words and phrases expressing engagement. A conceptualisation of consumer engagement as a motivational construct in C2C contexts is developed. A cycle of engagement is identified: consumer engagement is seen to arise from consumption experiences that provide value to the consumer; engagement prompts ongoing consumption activity; the cycle of engagement continues as long as value is derived from the consumption experiences. Applications of this conceptualisation of consumer engagement are explored.