ii
Uni e sidade do Minho
E:.scola de E:.conomia e Ges ao
Hala Emad Eldin Mohamed El Ba kouky
The Cus ome Jou ney: The Ongoing Cycle o
Cus ome Expe ience, Value Co-c ea ion and
Cus ome Engagemen .
Doc o al Thesis In Business
Adminis a ion
Co'1duc ed ..nde he supe ision o :
P o esso a Claudia Simoes
O : obe 2022
ii
DIREITOS DE AUTOR E CONDIÇÕES DE UTILIZAÇÃO DO TRABALHO POR TERCEIROS
Es e é um abalho académico que pode se u ilizado po e cei os desde que espei adas as eg as e boas
p á icas in e nacionalmen e acei es, no que conce ne aos di ei os de au o e di ei os conexos.
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Caso o u ilizado necessi e de pe missão pa a pode aze um uso do abalho em condições não p e is as
no licenciamen o indicado, de e á con ac a o au o , a a és do Reposi ó iUM da Uni e sidade do Minho.
Licença concedida aos u ilizado es des e abalho
A ibuição
CC BY
h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
My dea supe iso , P o esso Cláudia Simões, hank you o being an inspi a ion and he mos signi ican
suppo e h ough he Ph.D. jou ney. Thank you o suppo ing me bo h academically and emo ionally. To
my pa en s o hei con inuous suppo , conce n, and ca e. To my sis e Seba o always being he g ea es
suppo e and lis ene and by a he one ha mo i a es me he mos . To my sis e Mesk, o unde s anding
and hea ing me. Thank you o all my colleagues and iends who con ibu ed o my pe sonal and academic
g ow h du ing his phase. My iend Aliaa Ahmed ha I am hank ul o going h ough his oge he , o being
he companion, ad iso , and psychologis who, o iendship and joy, u ned his jou ney in o a pa y.
i
STATEMENT OF INTEGRITY
I he eby decla e ha ing conduc ed his academic wo k wi h in eg i y. I con i m ha I ha e no used plagia ism
o any o m o undue use o in o ma ion o alsi ica ion o esul s along he p ocess leading o i s elabo a ion.
I u he decla e ha I ha e ully acknowledged he Code o E hical Conduc o he Uni e si y o Minho.
A jo nada do clien e: o ciclo con ínuo da expe iência do clien e, coc iação de alo e
engajamen o do clien e.
RESUMO
As jo nadas dos clien es nos me cados ac uais são "
mul i ouch
" e mul icanal. Os clien es o nam-se
habili ados e conhecedo es, o que esul a no ac o de se em cada ez mais esponsá eis pela escolha de
o mas únicas de alcança os seus objec i os. As jo nadas o na am-se complexas e indi idualizadas. Assim,
o signi icado de es uda a jo nada do clien e, e lec e a necessidade de comp eende o clien e num ciclo
con ínuo de expe iência a a és da abo dagem dos di e en es pon os de con ac o, co-c iação de alo e
en ol imen o. Assim, es a ese isa comp eende a ligação en e a expe iência do clien e, a co-c iação de
alo e o en ol imen o do clien e e como e olui ao longo da jo nada do clien e passando pela p é-comp a,
comp a e pós-comp a. A ese ap esen a ês objec i os. P imei o, isa comp eende como a expe iência do
clien e é moldada em múl iplos pon os de con ac o, online e o line; po ou as pala as, pon os de con ac o
da ma ca e sociais/ex e nos. Segundo, isa comp eende como os clien es a ibuem signi icado às suas
expe iências num con ex o de co-c iação e como a co-c iação de alo molda a expe iência do clien e. Em
e cei o luga , comp eende como p opo ciona uma expe iência supe io /sa is a ó ia ao clien e, e como a
co-c iação de alo pode le a ao en ol imen o do clien e a longo p azo. A im de a ingi os objec i os da
in es igação, oi desen ol ido um es udo empí ico quali a i o. A undamen ação pa a a ealização des e
es udo empí ico baseou-se na necessidade de o nece uma isão ap o undada a a és das ases do
pe cu so do clien e: p é-comp a, comp a e pós-comp a. Adicionalmen e, ou i as his ó ias e expe iências
dos clien es a pa i da sua pe spec i a e in e p e a as expe iências e os signi icados que os clien es lhes
a ibuem con ibui pa a a li e a u a de ma ke ing e unciona como um guia pa a as emp esas. Os dados
apoiam a ideia de que os pon os de con ac o moldam a expe iência do clien e. Os esul ados e elam, ainda,
que os di e en es aspec os da co-c iação de alo , ais como in e acção, anspa ência e diálogo, moldam a
expe iência do clien e e podem le a ao seu en ol imen o.
Pala as Cha e: A jo nada do clien e, expe iência do clien e, coc iação de alo , engajamen o do clien e,
pon os de con ac o.
i
The Cus ome Jou ney: The Ongoing Cycle o Cus ome Expe ience, Value Co-c ea ion and
Cus ome Engagemen .
ABSTRACT
Cus ome jou neys in oday’s ma ke s a e “mul i ouch” and mul ichannel. Cus ome s become empowe ed
and knowledgeable, which esul s ha hey a e inc easingly in cha ge o choosing unique ways o achie e
hei goals. Jou neys ha e become complex and indi idualized. Thus, he signi icance o s udying cus ome
jou neys e lec s he need o unde s and how he cus ome goes in an ongoing cycle o expe ience h ough
dealing wi h he di e en ouchpoin s, alue co-c ea ion, and cus ome engagemen . Thus, he hesis aims
o unde s and he connec i i y be ween cus ome expe ience, alue co-c ea ion, and cus ome engagemen
and how i e ol es h oughou he cus ome jou ney om p e-pu chase o pu chase o pos -pu chase. The
objec i es o he hesis a e h ee. Fi s , i a ge s unde s anding how he cus ome expe ience is shaped in
mul iple ouchpoin s, online and o line; in o he wo ds, b and-owned and social/ex e nal ouchpoin s.
Second, i aims o unde s and how cus ome s a ach meaning o hei expe iences in a co-c ea ion con ex
and how alue co-c ea ion shapes he cus ome expe ience. Thi d, i aims o comp ehend how p o iding a
supe io /sa is ying cus ome expe ience, and alue co-c ea ion can lead o cus ome engagemen in he long
e m. In o de o a ain he hesis’ objec i es, an empi ical quali a i e s udy was de eloped. The a ionale o
pe o ming his empi ical s udy was based on he need o p o ide in-dep h insigh s h ough he s ages o he
cus ome jou ney om p e-pu chase o pu chase o pos -pu chase. Mo eo e , lis ening o he cus ome s’
s o ies and expe iences om hei pe spec i e and in e p e ing he expe iences and he meanings cus ome s
b ing o hem will add o he ma ke ing li e a u e and ac as a guide o i ms. Findings suppo he idea ha
ouchpoin s shape he whole cus ome expe ience. Fu he mo e, he indings e ealed ha he di e en
aspec s o alue co-c ea ion, such as in e ac ion, anspa ency, and dialogue, shape he cus ome expe ience
and can lead o cus ome engagemen .
Keywo ds: Cus ome Jou ney, Cus ome Expe ience, Touchpoin s, Value Co-c ea ion, Cus ome
Engagemen ..
ii
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ............................................................................................................ iii
RESUMO ...............................................................................................................................
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... i
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ xii
LIST OF TABLE .................................................................................................................... xii
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1
CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 2
1.1. O e iew................................................................................................................................... 2
1.2. Resea ch Backg ound ............................................................................................................... 2
1.3. Resea ch Ques ions .................................................................................................................. 6
1.4. Objec i es and Resea ch Con ibu ion ....................................................................................... 8
1.5. Thesis Ou line ........................................................................................................................... 9
LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................... 11
Chap e Two - Li e a u e Re iew ..................................................................................... 12
2.1. O e iew................................................................................................................................. 12
2.2. Cus ome Expe ience .............................................................................................................. 12
2.3. Pe spec i es on he Design, Deli e y, and Managemen o Cus ome Expe ience ..................... 16
2.3.1. Cus ome Expe ience om he Company’s Pe spec i e .................................................... 16
2.3.2. Cus ome Expe ience om he Cus ome Pe spec i e ...................................................... 17
2.4. Rela ed No ions o Cus ome Expe ience ................................................................................. 18
2.4.1. B and Expe ience ............................................................................................................ 18
2.4.2. P oduc Expe ience .......................................................................................................... 19
2.4.3. Se ice Expe ience .......................................................................................................... 19
2.4.4. Consump ion expe ience ................................................................................................. 20
2.5. De ining he Cus ome Jou ney ............................................................................................... 20
2.5.1. Challenges o he cus ome jou ney ................................................................................. 21
1
INTRODUCTION
2
CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION
1.1. O e iew
The cu en chap e p o ides an o e all p esen a ion o he heme unde s udy, ep esen ing cus ome
expe ience h ough he ouchpoin s in a co-c ea ion con ex and how i shapes he cus ome engagemen
om he cus ome pe spec i e in Egyp . The scope o he s udy and a ionale a e p esen ed a he beginning
o he chap e . Then, he esea ch p oblem eme ged om he gap iden i ied in he li e a u e e iew and is
suppo ed by he esea ch backg ound. A e ha , he con ibu ions o he hesis and objec i es a e explained.
Finally, a he end o he chap e , an o e iew o he s uc u e and o ganiza ion o he hesis is demons a ed.
1.2. Resea ch Backg ound
A e he 2008 inancial c isis, all he wo ld ma ke s we e a ec ed, especially economic ac o s. Fac o s such
as gasoline p ices, in la ion, ecession, unemploymen , in e es a es, and declining s ock ma ke s all
in luenced cus ome shopping beha io . Cus ome s became mo e knowledgeable and demanding mo e han
jus low p ices and inno a i e p oduc s. All he p e iously men ioned lead i ms o cen e hei a en ion on
he impo ance o imp o ing he whole cus ome expe ience o su i e in hese compe i i e ma ke s (G ewal
e al., 2009).
Al hough g oss domes ic p oduc in de eloped coun ies is ising, i has been deba ing ha goods a e
becoming commodi ized, and di e en ia ion can be achie ed h ough se ices (Reina z and Ulaga, 2008).
Resea che s u he (Meye and Schwage 2007; Shaw 2002; Neely 2008) a gued ha se ice, oo, is
p og essi ely commodi ized and ha consume demands mo e han jus compe en se ice, hey a e seeking
expe iences, which a e "engaging, obus , compelling and memo able" (Gilmo e and Pine 2002, p. 10).
Hence, cus ome expe ience is now co e in he manage s' and execu i es' s a egies, whe he in consume -
packaged goods o e ail ields (G ewal e al., 2009). C ea ing a supe io cus ome expe ience ac oss
channels has become one o he main goals o many i ms. Businesses such as Toyo a, Dell, and S a bucks
s a ed emb acing cus ome expe ience in hei mission s a emen s. Howe e , besides ealizing he
signi icance o cus ome expe ience by p ac i ione s, i is s ill limi ed in he academic ma ke ing li e a u e
(Ve hoe e al., 2009). Resea che s ha e ocused on cus ome sa is ac ion and se ice quali y (e.g.,
Pa asu aman, Zei haml, and Be y 1988; Ve hoe , Lange ak, and Donke s 2007) bu did no clea ly poin o
he cus ome expe ience as a sepa a e e m. Mo eo e , moni o ing he cus ome jou ney and c ea ing a
3
du able and obus cus ome expe ience is becoming a leading managemen objec i e, whe e p o iding a
supe io cus ome expe ience has been ci ed as he op p io i y o 72% o businesses (K anzbühle e al.
2019).
Recen esea ch has unde sco ed he impo ance o examining he cus ome jou ney o unde s and he
cus ome expe ience (Ve hoe e al., 2016). Cus ome jou neys in oday’s ma ke s a e “mul i ouch” and
mul ichannel, wi h new ypes o s imuli appea ing e e y day, implying ha i ms need o comp ehend a wide
ange o ouchpoin s wi hin and ou side i m con ol, bo h in o line and online se ings (Becke e al., 2020;
Ve hoe e al.,2016). Fu he mo e, empowe ed cus ome s a e inc easingly in cha ge o choosing unique
ways o achie e hei goals (Edelman e al., 2015). The p e iously men ioned means ha jou neys ha e
become inc easingly complex and indi idualized; he ex an li e a u e has ended o measu e cus ome
expe ience in one ouchpoin (Becke e al., 2020). Howe e , his s udy aims o unde s and how he
cus ome expe ience is shaped in mul iple ouchpoin s, online and o line.
As highligh ed abo e, cus ome expe ience is inc easingly ecognized as an essen ial phenomenon o i ms
wi h subs an ial implica ions o building a long-las ing ela ionship wi h cus ome s (And eini e al., 2019).
Va ying de ini ions o cus ome expe ience ha e a isen (Ve hoe e al., 2016), wi h di e en pe spec i es on
cus ome expe ience u ging esea ch o be e es ablish o e ine he domain o he concep (Waqas e al.,
2021). Cus ome expe ience may be conside ed as a p ocess ha in ol es e e y aspec o a i m's o e ing
and he cus ome esponse o hese o e ings, whe he di ec ly o indi ec ly (Ve hoe e al., 2016). The i m's
o e ings include ad e ising, packaging, p oduc a ibu es, ease o use, and quali y o cus ome se ice
(B akus e al., 2009; Meye & Schwage , 2007). One o he challenges o companies is ha cus ome s
nowadays a e dealing wi h plen i ul ouchpoin s in mul iple channels and media, esul ing in a mo e complex
cus ome jou ney. A “Touchpoin ” is any e bal (e.g., ad e ising) o non- e bal (e.g., p oduc usage) inciden
ha a consume pe cei es and ela es o a i m (Duncan and Mo ia y, 2006). Hence cus ome expe ience
and he connec ions wi h he i m lead o he no ion o alue o bo h he cus ome and he i m (P ahalad
and Ramaswamy 2004; Shaw and I ens 2002; LaSalle and B i on 2003), ha is, alue co-c ea ion. Value
co-c ea ion has been aking he a en ion o bo h academics and p ac i ione s, whe e he i m canno solely
c ea e and deli e alue; howe e , i implies ha bo h he o e o and he bene icia y o se ice simul aneously
c ea e alue (Va go and Lusch 2008). Value co-c ea ion does no mean ha he i m is jus ying o please
he cus ome bu high-quali y in e ac ions ha enable he cus ome o co-c ea e unique expe iences wi h he
i m. Co-c ea ing expe iences lead o unlocking new sou ces o compe i i e ad an age, hence alue join ly
4
c ea ed by bo h he i m and he cus ome (P ahalad and Ramaswamy; 2004b). The e o e, his s udy aims
o unde s and how he cus ome dealings wi h he di e en ouchpoin s shape he whole cus ome
expe ience, h oughou he cus ome jou ney. This s udy u he aims o unde s and how he cus ome
pe cei es expe iences in a co-c ea ion con ex .
P e ious s udies ocused on he impo ance o cus ome expe ience, and he oppo uni ies i ms should
exploi o de eloping a s ong and du able cus ome expe ience (Ve hoe e al., 2016).
Cus ome expe ience and alue co-c ea ion a e bo h ele an cons uc s in he ma ke ing li e a u e and o
i ms, ha is he eason his s udy conside s i co e o unde s and he cus ome expe ience in a co-c ea ion
con ex and linking hese wo concep s. P e ious s udies looked a consump ion om di e en concep ual
iews as a holis ic phenomenon ha in ol es a pe son who in e ac s wi h he i m a di e en le els (LaSalle
and B i on 2003). These in e ac ions wi h he i m lead o cus ome expe iences ha de ine how he
cus ome will eac o he i m in he u u e (B akus e al., 2009). As i ms a e challenged wi h quick media,
and channel agmen a ion, omni-channel managemen has become he new no m (B ynjol sson, Hu, and
Rahman 2013; Ve hoe , Kannan, and Inman 2015). Mo eo e , consume s a e becoming knowledgeable due
o cus ome - o-cus ome in e ac ions h ough social media, which c ea ed oppo uni ies o i ms and, a he
same ime, c i ical challenges (Lee lang e al., 2013; Libai e al., 2010). Fi ms also ha e less con ol o e
he cus ome jou ney and cus ome expe ience as a whole esul ing in beha io s such as show ooming
(B ynjol sson, Hu, and Rahman 2013; Rapp e al. 2015). The inc eased numbe o cus ome ouchpoin s
and he minimum con ol o he expe ience o ce i ms o in eg a e mul iple business unc ions in o de o
c ea e and deli e posi i e cus ome expe iences (Ve hoe e al. 2016). Consequen ly, he con ex ha
companies ope a e in has made i inc easingly complex o i ms o c ea e, manage, and a emp o ‘con ol’
he expe ience and jou ney o each cus ome (e.g., Edelman and Singe 2015; Rawson, Duncan, and Jones
2013).
Businesses do no only seek o ul ill he cus ome s' needs; hey also aim o do his mo e e icien ly and
e ec i ely han hei compe i o s in he ma ke place o achie e hei goals. In o de o achie e a compe i i e
ad an age, i became essen ial o c ea e a supe io cus ome expe ience h oughou he cus ome
jou ney. Thus, cus ome expe ience is a holis ic p ocess, in eg a ing he cus ome 's emo ional, cogni i e,
social, senso y, and spi i ual esponses o all he dealings wi h he i m (Ve hoe e al. 2009). This s udy
add esses he h ee s ages o cus ome expe ience (p e-pu chase, pu chase, and pos -pu chase) in a con ex
whe e cus ome ma ke s a e anspa en , empowe ed, and collabo a i e. Value c ea ion e lec s a p ocess
5
ha inc eases he cus ome ’s well-being so ha he cus ome becomes be e o (G on oos 2008; c . No din
e al., 2011; Va go e al., 2008). Making he cus ome be e o could be like sol ing a cus ome ’s p oblems
(Sawhney e al. 2006), sa is ying cus ome needs (Tuli e al. 2007). Value co-c ea ion is also holis ic, whe e
he iew o cus ome s has de eloped om “passi e audiences” o “ac i e playe s” (P ahalad e al., 2000).
Howe e , alue co-c ea ion pinpoin ed o he e olu ion o a new logic o alue c ea ion whe e alue is
embedded in pe sonalized expe iences. The iew is changing om he old model ha alue is c ea ed om
goods and se ices o a new one ha alue is c ea ed by expe iences (P ahalad 2004).
Since, li e a u e explained how he cus ome s’ in e ac ions wi h he i m lead o cus ome expe iences ha
de ine how he cus ome will eac o he i m in he u u e (B akus e al., 2009).
Subsequen ly, he p esen s udy seeks o unde s and how he cus ome expe ience ela e o he cus ome
engagemen . Cus ome engagemen can be exp essed in a way whe e, when a ela ionship is sa is ied and
has emo ional bonding, i hen e ol es o he s age o “engagemen ” (Kuma and Pansa i, 2017). Hence,
i ms a e shi ing om he myopic scope o “selling” o “emo ionally connec ing” wi h hei cus ome s; in
o he wo ds, i ms a e shi ing o pe sonalizing in e ac ions, deligh ing hei cus ome s, unde s anding
cus ome s, and in ol ing hem as speake s o he i m (Kuma and Pansa i, 2017). F om a business
pe spec i e, he impo ance o cus ome engagemen comes o he o e. P ac i ione s look a cus ome
engagemen in e ms o sales and epea sales o impac e enue by consume s (Kuma e al., 2017). The
p e iously men ioned esul ed in cus ome engagemen becoming he main ocus o many i ms; hey ealize
i is no enough o sa is y cus ome needs bu o engage him/he in all possible ways. The mo i a ion o he
s udy is o examine how he cus ome goes in he ongoing cycle in he jou ney om cus ome expe ience o
alue co-c ea ion o cus ome engagemen .
P e ious s udies examined mul iple ma ke ing s a egies o s eng hen cus ome engagemen and i m alue
(B odie e al., 2011; Ha meling e al., 2017; Van Doo n e al., 2010). Li e a u e a gued ha i ms dedica e
esou ces owa d de eloping cus ome engagemen beyond jus i m-cus ome ansac ions (Pansa i and
Kuma 2017). As echnology e ol ed, consume s inc easingly had access o digi al and social media o
communica e opinions and in e ac wi h companies (de Oli ei a San ini e al., 2020). Fi ms s a ed shi ing
hei p omo ion om adi ional media and using digi al pla o ms o in e ac wi h cus ome s (Pa u hi and
Kau 2017). Howe e , o e he pas wo decades, as digi al pla o ms de eloped, i ms began o aim a
building unique b and expe iences h ough in e ac i e en i onmen s such as social media (Pa u hi and Kau
2017). S udies indica e ha cus ome engagemen can be desc ibed by he eme gence o expe iences and
6
alue c ea ion in consume -b and ela ionships (B odie e al., 2011). Fu he mo e, an engagemen s a egy
is essen ial o be e i m pe o mance (Hollebeek e al., 2014). Cus ome s in ol ed ha e a signi ican ole
in so-called i al ma ke ing, such as p o iding ecommenda ions o p oduc s (Hollebeek e al., 2014).
In sum, cus ome expe ience is s ill a nascen s a e ha needs mo e academic a en ion (Ve hoe e al.
2016). Al hough cus ome expe ience has been esea ched since 1998, ecen e idence sugges s signi ican
di e ences in s udies in e ms o pe spec i e, esea ch con ex , and esea ch gaps iden i ied (Waqas e al.,
2021). Mo e p ecisely, cu en li e a u e lacks he unde s anding o cus ome expe ience ega ding
cus ome s' p ac ice o a aching meanings o hei expe iences. The e o e, his s udy seeks o unde s and
how he cus ome ela es meanings o hei expe iences wi h he i m's ouchpoin s, highligh he indings
and o e a new pe spec i e on he cus ome expe ience. Thus, li e a u e aces many issues and challenges
ega ding his opic. To ace he challenges, he p esen s udy in es iga es cus ome expe ience h ough he
ouchpoin s in a co-c ea ion con ex and how i connec s o cus ome engagemen .
1.3. Resea ch Ques ions
Acco ding o he esea ch backg ound, he lack o analysis ega ding cus ome expe ience in a co-c ea ion
con ex and how i shapes cus ome engagemen u he highligh s he impo ance o his esea ch a ea. The
li e a u e sugges s ha alue c ea ion is an ongoing p ocess ha highligh s he cus ome s’ expe iences, logic,
and abili y o ex ac alue om p oduc s (G on oos e al., 2013). The cu en s udy a gues ha cus ome s
conside he expe ience supe io when hey a e in ol ed in co-c ea ion. The s a ing poin o he esea ch
ques ion is he ollowing esea ch ques ion:
Q1: How does alue co-c ea ion shape he cus ome expe ience?
The pu pose o he s udy in ol es he cus ome s as co-c ea o s o alue in hei own cus ome expe iences.
I aims o unde s and how i ms and cus ome s co-c ea e alue h oughou he cus ome jou ney s ages.
Value is co-c ea ed h ough many aspec s such as dialogue, in e ac ion, and anspa ency be ween i ms
and cus ome s. The in e ac ion and dialogue wi h cus ome s a e c i ical o i ms o help hem imp o e he
quali y o hei p oduc s (Me z e al., 2018), and he be e he quali y o he dialogue, he mo e aluable he
co-c ea ed expe ience (Binkho s & Dekke ,2009). The s udy is cu ious o unde s and he impo ance o he
7
expe ience in a co-c ea ion con ex , speci ically he en i onmen o he expe ience, whe he i is in he s o e,
online, o h ough social media.
Al hough unde s anding he co-c ea ion phenomenon is essen ial, unde s anding he cus ome expe ience
and wha eelings and emo ions he cus ome goes h ough in hei dealings wi h he ouchpoin s is
challenging. The e o e, he second esea ch ques ion o he s udy is:
Q2: How do ouchpoin s shape he cus ome expe ience?
C ea ing a supe io cus ome expe ience ac oss channels has become one o he main goals o many i ms
(Ve hoe e al., 2016). Due o many easons such as globaliza ion, digi aliza ion, cus ome in e ac ions wi h
a my iad o ouchpoin s (Ve hoe e al., 2016), and social media, i can be no iced ha he consume 's
a i ude owa d consump ion is changing. Mo eo e , he challenge o ha ing anspa en consume ma ke s
esul ed in in ense compe i ion among i ms and indus ies. Consequen ly, he cu en s udy seeks o
unde s and how he cus ome eels and iden i ies he expe ience h oughou he jou ney wi h he exis ence
o hese challenges. Mo eo e , he s udy seeks o g asp how can a supe io cus ome expe ience in a co-
c ea ion en i onmen leads o cus ome being engaged. Thus, he hi d esea ch ques ion o he s udy is:
Q3: How does he cus ome expe ience ela e o cus ome engagemen ?
This s udy aims o examine an eme ging ma ke like ‘Egyp ’ o he bes o he esea che ’s knowledge; he e
ha e no been any p e ious a emp s o comp ehend he cus ome jou ney in he Egyp ian ma ke . High
s ee ashion s o es we e selec ed as he majo i y o he cus ome s p e e hem because o aspec s like
cos , con enience, and endiness. The s udy aims o unde s and he cus ome engagemen owa ds he
i m cogni i ely, emo ionally, and beha io ally. Mo eo e , he s udy is cu ious o unde s and whe he a
supe io /sa is ying cus ome expe ience can lead o engagemen beha io s ha can be di ec such as
cus ome pu chases, o indi ec , such as cus ome e e als, cus ome knowledge, and cus ome in luence.
The p e ious discussion elabo a es on he in luence o cus ome expe ience h ough dealings wi h
ouchpoin s on he whole cus ome jou ney and how his a ec s cus ome engagemen . Also, his s udy
8
explo es he impac o di e en aspec s o alue co-c ea ion, which can lead he cus ome o go beyond
epu chasing o engaging wi h he i m.
Following he esea ch ques ions and achie ing he esea ch objec i es, an empi ical quali a i e s udy was
de eloped. The a ionale o pe o ming his empi ical s udy was based on he need o p o ide in-dep h
insigh s in o he cus ome jou ney. Mo eo e , lis ening o he cus ome s’ s o ies and expe iences om hei
pe spec i e and in e p e ing he expe iences and meanings cus ome s b ing o hem will add o he ma ke ing
li e a u e and ac as a guide o i ms.
1.4. Objec i es and Resea ch Con ibu ion
The cu en s udy aims o in e ela e cus ome expe ience, alue co-c ea ion, and cus ome engagemen o
allow a de ailed s udy o he cus ome jou ney be ween he cus ome s and he i m. The ocus is on
unde s anding how he cus ome a aches meanings o he expe iences and iews he alue co-c ea ion and
how his leads o cus ome engagemen . The objec i es o he cu en s udy a e:
1. Unde s and how he ouchpoin s (B and-owned and social/ex e nal ouchpoin s) shape he
cus ome expe ience.
2. Lea n abou he ole o alue co-c ea ion in shaping he whole cus ome expe ience.
3. Gain in-dep h unde s anding o how he cus ome expe ience ela es o cus ome engagemen .
The i s con ibu ion o he s udy is p o iding a deepe unde s anding o he cus ome jou ney h ough he
h ee s ages, om p e-pu chase o pu chase o pos -pu chase. Cus ome jou neys in oday’s ma ke s a e
“mul i ouch” and mul ichannel, wi h new ypes o s imuli appea ing e e y day, implying ha i ms need o
comp ehend a wide ange o ouchpoin s wi hin and ou side i m con ol, bo h in o line and online se ings
(Becke e al., 2020; Ve hoe e al.,2016). Fu he mo e, empowe ed cus ome s a e inc easingly in cha ge o
choosing unique ways o achie e hei goals (Edelman e al., 2015). The p e iously men ioned means ha
jou neys ha e become inc easingly complex and indi idualized; he ex an li e a u e has ended o measu e
cus ome expe ience a one ouchpoin (Becke e al., 2020). Howe e , his s udy aims o unde s and how
he cus ome expe ience is shaped in mul iple ouchpoin s, online and o line; in o he wo ds, b and-owned
ouchpoin s and social/ex e nal ouchpoin s.
The second con ibu ion o he s udy is o gain a dep h unde s anding o how he cus ome a aches meanings
o hei expe iences in a co-c ea ion con ex . Value co-c ea ion has been inc easingly a ac ing schola ly
9
a en ion ega ding i s applica ion h ough explo ing ways o e aining empowe ed cus ome s (Cheung e al.,
2021; Va go & Lusch, 2008). Nowadays, he de elopmen o social media b ough a en ion o b anding-
ela ed issues (Ahn e al., 2019) because social media o e s a i ual space o consume s o sha e hei
expe iences, ac ing as an essen ial d i e in alue co-c ea ion (Luo e al., 2015). Fu he mo e, alue c ea ion
becomes an ongoing p ocess ha highligh s he cus ome s’ expe iences, logic, and abili y o ex ac alue
om p oduc s (G on oos e al., 2013). Thus, his s udy seeks o unde s and how alue co-c ea ion shapes
he cus ome expe ience.
The concep s o cus ome expe ience and consume engagemen emain la gely unconnec ed (Hepola e
al., 2017; T ian a illidou e al., 2018). Consequen ly, he hi d con ibu ion o he s udy is o comp ehend
how p o iding a supe io /sa is ying cus ome expe ience can lead o cus ome engagemen in he long e m
and cus ome s being he spokespe sons o he i m. I is ecognized ha he cus ome 's beha io is
in luenced by he expe iences aking place in an inc easingly complex en i onmen (B andão e al., 2019).
Thus, i can be hough ha he cus ome engagemen concep cen e s on speci ic in e ac i e cus ome
expe iences (B odie e al., 2011). Finally, o en ich he ma ke ing li e a u e, he s udy aims o unde s and
he cus ome expe ience, alue co-c ea ion, and cus ome engagemen and how i e ol es h oughou he
cus ome jou ney om p e-pu chase o pu chase o pos -pu chase. Conside ing ha he h ee concep s ha e
a nascen s a e, linking hem oge he will add o academics and he ma ke ing li e a u e.
1.5. Thesis Ou line
The o e all s uc u e o he s udy akes he o m o i e chap e s. Each chap e pe ains o a speci ic pa o
he s udy. These chap e s a e:
Chap e One: An O e iew
The i s chap e p o ides an in oduc ion and o e iew o he esea ch, he esea ch p oblem and esea ch
objec i es.
Chap e Two: Li e a u e Re iew
Chap e wo p esen s he li e a u e e iew ha sus ains he heo e ical a gumen s o he hesis. In his
chap e he h ee main cons uc s o he s udy; cus ome expe ience, alue co-c ea ion and cus ome
10
engagemen a e add essed. A he end o he chap e based on he p e ious heo e ical backg ound, he
concep ual amewo k is p esen ed.
Chap e Th ee: Resea ch Design and Me hodology
The hi d chap e ackles he esea ch design, esea ch pa adigm, esea ch philosophy, esea ch app oach,
esea ch me hodology choice, sou ces o da a, da a collec ion me hod, he p ocess o in e iew guide
de elopmen and he da a analysis echnique ha a e used.
Chap e Fou : Analysis o Resea ch Findings
Chap e Fou analyzed he esul s o he s udy and p o ides a discussion ega ding he main indings.
Chap e Fi e: Discussion, Implica ions, Limi a ions and Fu u e Resea ch
The las chap e discusses he main conclusions o he s udy, academic and manage ial implica ions and
he limi a ions o he s udy p o iding sugges ions o u u e esea ch.
17
clues end o add ess emo ions a he han eason, ha cus ome conside s whe he o buy o mo e on
(Be y, Ca bone and Haeckel, 2002).
To p o ide a supe io cus ome expe ience as pa o a cus ome - alue p oposi ion, i ms mus manage he
emo ional componen o expe iences wi h he same igo hey b ing o he managemen o p oduc and
se ice unc ionali y. The way o begin ha e o is by obse ing cus ome s and alking o hem abou hei
expe iences o gain a deepe unde s anding o he clues hey a e p ocessing du ing hei dealings wi h he
company. Fi ms compe e o bes when hey associa e bo h unc ional and emo ional bene i s in hei
o e ings (Be y, Ca bone, and Haeckel, 2002, Schmi 1999). Cus ome expe ience is he p ocess ha
in ol es e e y poin o con ac be ween he cus ome and a i m, i s p oduc /se ices (G ewal e al., 2009).
In con as , cus ome expe ience managemen is he ool o he s a egy designed by he i m o manage he
cus ome expe ience (G ewal e al., 2009). Cus ome expe ience managemen is a win-win alue exchange
be ween he i m and i s cus ome s. Fi ms ha e o conside he ac o s (such as p omo ion, p ice, loca ion)
ha may a ec cus ome expe ience and beha io s. All hese ac o s should esul in highe cus ome
sa is ac ion and hence highe p o i s o he i m (G ewal e al., 2009)
Fi ms can manage he challenges hey a e acing by ocusing on he ull cus ome jou ney; e icien ly
managing he en i e cus ome expe ience h oughou all hei ouchpoin s, which will esul in enhanced
cus ome sa is ac ion and inc eased e enues. Mo e e o needs o be exe ed by he i ms o me ge all he
analysis and e alua ions. This analysis will help i ms de e mine essen ial jou neys and engage he en i e
i m in edesigning he cus ome expe ience, hus being i esis ibly and endu ingly engaged. To gain his
engagemen , i will demand a shi o a jou ney o ien a ion (Rawson, Duncan, and Jones, 2013; Edelman
and Singe , 2015).
2.3.2. Cus ome Expe ience om he Cus ome Pe spec i e
Cus ome s a e becoming complex in hei beha iou s; hey need p oduc s ha hey can encompass in hei
li es yles, hey wan p oduc s and ma ke ing ad e isemen s o deli e an expe ience (Schmi , 1999).
Cus ome s look o easy communica ion wi h he i m, consis ency o he messages h ough all
communica ion channels (Touchpoin s), o e ing a ious channels o he cus ome s o shop and sa is y
cus ome s' needs and eedback (G ewal e al., 2009). Acco dingly, esea che s de ined cus ome expe ience
as " a blend o a company's physical pe o mance and he emo ions e oked, in ui i ely measu ed agains
cus ome expec a ions ac oss all momen s o con ac " (Shaw and I ens, 2002; P.6).
18
G ewal e al. (2009) s a ed ha many mac o ac o s a ec and shape he cus ome expe ience and beha io s.
Fac o s such as p omo ion, p ice, loca ion, me chandise, and supply chain. Resea che s examined
p omo ion (Ailawadi e al. 2009), p ice and compe i i e e ec s (Kopalle e al. 2009), me chandise
managemen (Man ala e al. 2009), supply chains (Ganesan e al. 2009), and loca ion. Puccinelli e al.
(2009) and Ve hoe e al. (2009) illumina e he shopping equa ion's cus ome side. Ve hoe e al. (2009)
indica ed ha o he ac o s a ec he whole cus ome expe ience, such as pas cus ome expe iences, s o e
en i onmen , se ice in e aces, asso men , p ice, and s o e b ands on u u e expe iences, as well as ac o s
ha a e ou side he con ol o he i m such as he in luence o pee cus ome s and pu pose o shopping.
Puccinelli e al. (2009) s a ed o he ac o s in luencing cus ome expe ience such as (1) goals, schemas,
and in o ma ion p ocessing; (2) memo y; (3) in ol emen ; (4) a i udes; (5) a ec ; (6) a mosphe ics; and (7)
consume a ibu ions and choices. These ac o s in luence he consume decision-making s ages (i.e., need
ecogni ion, in o ma ion sea ch, e alua ion, pu chase, and pos -pu chase).
Consume s a e mo e sophis ica ed han be o e; hey conside hei buying choices mo e ca e ully han
be o e and whe e o spend hei money. Fi ms ha p o ide a supe io cus ome expe ience will inc ease he
chances ha hei cus ome s will epu chase hei p oduc s and he oppo uni y ha hey will e e hem o
o he s (G ewal e al., 2009). Because consume s ha e mo e con idence in iends' ecommenda ions han
he in o ma ion hey ge om selle s (Kuma , Pe e sen, and Leone 2007).
2.4. Rela ed No ions o Cus ome Expe ience
The upcoming sec ion explains he no ions ela ed o cus ome expe ience: B and Expe ience, P oduc
expe ience, Se ice expe ience, and Consump ion expe ience.
2.4.1. B and Expe ience
F om he b and managemen poin o iew, a b and expe ience is a akeaway imp ession (Ca bone and
Haeckel, 1994) ha is o med in he mind o he consume s as a esul o he encoun e wi h he holis ic
o e o a b and (Klaus and Maklan, 2007). In ac , P ahalad and Ramaswamy (2004) sugges ed an app oach
whe e he b and becomes he expe ience; an a i ma ion suppo ed by o he s udies ha also unde line he
cen al ole o expe iences in he b and-building p ocess (Payne e al., 2009).
Resea ch on expe iences had always concen a ed on u ili a ian p oduc a ibu es and ca ego y expe iences,
no on expe iences p o ided by b ands. When consume s look o , shop, and consume b ands, hey a e
19
exposed o u ili a ian p oduc a ibu es. Ye , hey a e also exposed o a ious speci ic b and- ela ed s imuli,
such as b and-iden i ying colo s (Go n e al. 1997), shapes (Ve yze e al., 1998), backg ound design
elemen s (Mandel e al., 2002), slogans and b and cha ac e s (Kelle 1987). These b and- ela ed s imuli
seem as pa o a b and’s design and iden i y (e.g., name, logo,), packaging, and ma ke ing communica ions
(e.g., ad e isemen s, b ochu es, Web si es) and in en i onmen s in which he b and is ma ke ed o sold
(e.g., s o es, e en s). These b and- ela ed s imuli c ea e he majo sou ce o subjec i e, in e nal consume
esponses, which is e e ed o as “b and expe ience” (B akus e al., 2009). B and expe ience can be de ined
as “subjec i e and in e nal consume esponses (sensa ions, eelings, cogni ions) and beha io al esponses
e oked by b and ela ed s imuli ha a e pa o a b and’s design and iden i y, packaging, communica ions,
and en i onmen s” (B akus e al., 2009, p.53).
B and expe ience can posi i ely a ec consume sa is ac ion; b and loyal y and b and associa ions specially
b and pe sonali y (B akus e al., 2009). Howe e , b and expe ience di e s om o he b and and cus ome -
ocused concep s including b and a achmen , b and in ol emen , and cus ome deligh (Za an onello e al.
2010). B and expe iences can also be iewed as one ha may p omo e s ong emo ional esponses om
consume s, which can lead o sa is ac ion, commi men o loyal y (Iglesias, 2011).
2.4.2. P oduc Expe ience
P oduc Expe ience can be s a ed as
one ha
happens when consume s look o p oduc s, shop o p oduc s,
and in e ac wi h hem (Hoch, 2000). The p oduc expe ience can be classi ied in o wo ypes di ec and
indi ec expe ience.
Di ec
expe ience, in ol es physical con ac wi h he p oduc .
Indi ec
expe ience occu s
when a p oduc is p esen ed i ually o in an ad e isemen (Hoch and Ha, 1986).
2.4.3. Se ice Expe ience
Se ice expe ience can be de ined as one ha happens when a consume deals wi h a physical en i onmen
o any se ice p o ide , i s employees and i s policies and p ac ices (Hui and Ba eson, 1991). F om a se ice
esea ch insigh , ela ionships a e cons uc ed om a se ies o encoun e s wi h a business (Vo hees e al.,
2014). Based on ha , manage s a e de eloping hei s a egies o design and manage he ull p ocess he
cus ome goes h ough o ha e a good expe ience (Ve hoe e al., 2016). I is du ing his se ies o encoun e s
whe e cus ome s assess he i m’s quali y whe e each encoun e con ibu es o cus ome s’ o e all
sa is ac ion and willingness o con inue his ela ionship (Bi ne , 1990). Se ice esea che s ha e o
20
unde s and e ol ing cus ome needs o a holis ic se ice expe ience, which spans all po en ial se ice
encoun e s (o ouch poin s) wi h he i m (Vo hees e al. 2017).
2.4.4. Consump ion expe ience
Consump ion expe ience occu s when consume s use p oduc s. Consump ion expe iences a e
mul idimensional and include hedonic dimensions, such as eelings, an asies, and un (Holb ook and
Hi schman 1982). As a conclusion, expe iences occu in a a ie y o se ings whe he when consume s shop,
buy and consume. Also i can happen indi ec ly when consume s see ad e ising o o he ma ke ing
communica ions such as he websi es (B akus e al. 2009).
In o de o ha e a conc e e unde s anding o he cus ome expe ience, he e is a need o an e alua ion o
he cus ome jou ney and how i in luences consume beha io . This can be achie ed by dealing wi h he
cus ome jou ney as necessa y d i e o a cus ome expe ience. The Li e a u e has so a o e looked he
e ec i e managemen o managing he ouchpoin s in he cus ome jou ney will in luence he whole cus ome
expe ience; which will be explained la e in he li e a u e e iew. The ollowing sec ion includes de ining he
cus ome jou ney and challenges o cus ome jou ney.
2.5. De ining he Cus ome Jou ney
Be o e de ining he cus ome jou ney, he e m “Jou ney” alone can be iewed as one o he basic me apho s
ha is used by cus ome s o desc ibe, unde s and hei li es and o make meaning o hei pas , p esen and
u u e (Zal man and Zal man 2008). The jou ney me apho esul s om a ious se ings and is ela ed o a
a ie y o expe iences. Jou neys can be cha ac e ized by being sho o long, ha e unexpec ed e en s, go
owa ds o away om some hing, be epea ed many imes and includes ba ie s (Hamil on e al. 2019). This
leads o ano he de ini ion o “Jou ney” ha i s one ha in ol es he e en s o ouch poin s h oughou he
way, bu i is also a na a i e o p og ession in which i has impo an aspec s such as o e coming ea and
ailu e (A nould and P ice 1993).
A cus ome jou ney can be de ined as a p ocess ha in ol es a se ies o i m-cus ome ouchpoin s ha he
consume iden i ies as sa is ying, dissa is ying o neu al (K anzbühle e al. 2019). Cus ome expe ience is
concep ualized as a cus ome ’s “jou ney” wi h a i m o e ime du ing he pu chase cycle ac oss mul iple
ouch poin s (Ve hoe e al. 2016). “Touchpoin ” can be no ed as any e bal (e.g., ad e ising) o non- e bal
21
(e.g., p oduc usage) inciden ha a consume pe cei es and ela es o a i m (Duncan and Mo ia y, 2006).
This de ini ion o he p e ious cus ome jou ney is he one ha his s udy will adop . A conc e e unde s anding
and de ini ion o he cus ome jou ney is ha i ela es o all ac i i ies and ouchpoin s be ween consume s
and i ms, s a ing om conside a ion, sea ch o pu chase and pos pu chase (Ande l e al. 2016; Shanka
e al. 2011).
The whole cus ome jou ney is a c ucial aspec in e alua ing he cus ome expe ience whe e i e lec s he
easibili y o ease o li ing h ough plen i ul ouch poin s (Hombu g e al. 2019). The eason o ha is ha
cus ome s ind alue in he cumula i e pe cep ion o he ouch poin s h oughou he whole cus ome jou ney
om p e-pu chase o pu chase o pos -pu chase (Lemke e al. 2011; Tax e al. 2013). This will esul in
loyal y enhancing beha io s such as epu chasing and posi i e wo d o mou h.
2.5.1. Challenges o he cus ome jou ney
The inc eased numbe o cus ome ouch poin s and he minimum con ol o he expe ience o ce i ms o
in eg a e mul iple business unc ions including in o ma ion echnology (IT), se ice ope a ions, logis ics,
ma ke ing, human esou ces, and e en ex e nal pa ne s, in c ea ing and deli e ing posi i e cus ome
expe iences and sa is ying cus ome jou neys (Ve hoe e al. 2016). All his esul ed in an inc easingly
complex challenge o i ms o c ea e, manage, and a emp o con ol he cus ome jou ney (Rawson,
Duncan, and Jones, 2013; Edelman and Singe 2015).
One o he challenges acing he cus ome s is dealing wi h plen i ul ouch poin s in mul iple channels and
media esul ing in a mo e complex cus ome jou ney. Businesses o en analyze all o hei po en ial dealings
wi h cus ome s (i.e., i m–cus ome ouchpoin s) in he cus ome jou ney (Edelman and Singe 2015;
K anzbühle e al. 2018; Ve hoe e al. 2016). Cus ome s e alua e hei sa is ying and dissa is ying
ouchpoin s as pain and pleasu e momen s (K anzbühle e al. 2019). Mo eo e , i ms a e challenged wi h
quick media, channel agmen a ion and omni-channel managemen has become he new no m
(B ynjol sson, Hu, and Rahman 2013; Ve hoe , Kannan, and Inman 2015).
Ano he challenge, which can be conside ed a double-edged swo d, is he ‘Social media’. Consume s a e
becoming knowledgeable due o cus ome - o-cus ome in e ac ions h ough social media, which esul ed in
c ea ing no only oppo uni ies o i ms bu also c i ical challenges (Lee lang e al., 2013; Libai e al., 2010).
Fi ms ha e also less con ol o e he cus ome jou ney and cus ome expe ience as a whole esul ing in
beha io s such as show ooming. Show ooming can be de ined, as a p ac ice whe e consume s isi a s o e
22
o e alua e p oduc s/se ices i s and hen use mobile echnology while in-s o e o compa e p oduc s o
po en ial pu chase ia any numbe o channels. (B ynjol sson e al., 2013; Rapp e al. 2015).
Ano he challenge, is wha consume s a e ying o achie e no only be o e bu a e dealing wi h i ms
h oughou he whole cus ome jou ney, his will help i ms o inc ease he alue hey p o ide o hei
cus ome s (Seybold 2001). Fi ms ha e o ake in o accoun he pe spec i e ha cus ome s, ma ke s and
esou ces a e always changing (Be encou e al. 2014). Wi hou his b oad pe spec i e, i ms can lose hei
insigh h ough imp o ing speci ic ouchpoin o maximizing a speci ic choice and hey lose he ocus o he
consume o e all goal (Hamil on e al. 2019). Fi ms may misma ch solu ions o consume s because hey
don’ ollow he s a egy o ne wo ked goals and goal managemen app oaches (Hamil on e al. 2019). By
looking a consume ne wo ks mo e holis ically, i ms can imp o e solu ion design, iden i y new pa ne s,
and c ea e new o e ings (Epp and P ice 2011).
2.5.2. Phases in he Cus ome Jou ney
Consis en wi h p io esea ch (Neslin e al. 2006; Pucinelli e al. 2009), cus ome jou ney can be
concep ualized in h ee o e all s ages: p e-pu chase, pu chase, and pos -pu chase (Ve hoe e al. 2016).
1.
P e-pu chase
I is he i s s age ha in ol es he cus ome communica ion and en i e expe ience be o e pu chasing. The
ma ke ing li e a u e de ines his s age as one ha desc ibes beha io such as need ecogni ion and
conside a ion. Howe e , his s age in ol es he cus ome expe ience om he beginning o he need
ecogni ion o goals being sa is ied wi h a pu chase (e.g., Hoye 1984; Pie e s, Baumga ne , and Allen
1995).
2.
Pu chase
The second s age in ol es he dealings o cus ome wi h he i m and i s en i onmen du ing he pu chase
s age i sel . I is cha ac e ized by beha io s such as o de ing, paymen and choice, which make his s age
one o he mos impo an ones (Ve hoe e al. 2016).
23
3.
Pos -pu chase
The hi d s age in ol es he dealings o cus ome s wi h he i m and i s en i onmen a e he pu chase. I
encompasses beha io s such as usage and consump ion, pos pu chase engagemen and se ice eques s.
Resea ch on his hi d s age has concen a ed on he consump ion expe ience (e.g., Holb ook and Hi schman
1982); se ice eco e y (e.g., Kelley and Da is 1994); and decisions o e u n p oduc s (e.g., Wood 2001),
epu chase (e.g., Bol on 1998), o seek a ie y (e.g., McAlis e and Pessemie 1982), as well as o he non-
pu chase beha io s such as wo d o mou h and o he o ms o cus ome engagemen (e.g., Van Doo n e al.
2010).
The ollowing igu e (Figu e 1) depic s he ep esen a ion o he cus ome jou ney.
Figu e 1 - Rep esen a ion o he cus ome jou ney
Sou ce : Ve hoe e al. 2016 ; P, 77.
2.5.3. Touchpoin s in he Cus ome Jou ney
Today’s ma ke s a e cha ac e ized by being digi al, en iched and in ol e plen i ul ouchpoin s, which makes
managing he cus ome expe ience complex (Ve hoe e al. 2016). Many p ac i ione s ha e wo ked o
manage and design ouchpoin s h oughou cus ome jou neys as bes as possible. Fo example, i ms such
as Accen u e, IBM, and McKinsey in es hea ily in capabili ies ha combine design hinking, ma ke ing, and
da a analy ics o plan en i e cus ome jou neys (Hombu g e al. 2019). Following his end, esea che s
ha e pinpoin ed cus ome jou neys as a new sou ce o cus ome alue in he wen y- i s cen u y (Ve hoe e
24
al. 2016). Howe e , academic li e a u e explo ing he e ec i eness o managing he ouchpoin s h oughou
he whole cus ome jou ney as well as empi ically es ing how i in luences consume beha io and cus ome
expe ience is limi ed. This s udy aims o con ibu e o illing hese esea ch oids.
O pa icula in e es o his s udy is o unde s and he cus ome expe ience e e y ime he cus ome deals
wi h he i ms’ ouch poin s. P e ious s udies e lec ed ha a cus ome 's expe ience is he combina ion o all
cues and ouchpoin s a cus ome has wi h a i m, which in u n c ea es an o e all expe ience (Hombu g e
al., 2017; Mclean e al., 2016; Payne e al., 2008). Hombu g e al. (2017, p.386) con inued om Ve hoe
e al. (2009) and sugges ha ‘ he cus ome expe ience is he e ol emen o a pe son's senso ial, a ec i e,
cogni i e, ela ional and beha io al esponses o a b and by li ing h ough a jou ney o ouchpoin s along p e-
pu chase, pu chase and pos -pu chase and con inually judging his jou ney agains esponse h esholds o
co-occu ing expe iences. Hombu g e al., (2017) s udy goes is line wi h Ve hoe e al., (2016) who also
iewed he cus ome expe ience as a cons uc ocusing on a cus ome ’s cogni i e, emo ional, beha io al,
senso ial, and social esponses o a i m’s o e ings du ing he cus ome ’s en i e pu chase jou ney h ough
ouchpoin s.
Academic a en ion is being d awn o whe he (and how) he cus ome expe ience can go beyond he se ice
(Lemke e al., 2011). Cus ome jou ney is u ilized as a me apho o explo e expe ience; expe ience which
can be de ined as se ice pe cep ions h ough each ouchpoin wi h he i m (Swinya d 1993). O he
esea che s use he same me apho o a gue ha his jou ney may p oceed simul aneously wi h he company
and con inue a e con ac . Fi ms a e acing a lo o challenges, o example how o alloca e cos and
managemen ime ac oss he wide ange o ouchpoin s ha happens in he cus ome decision jou ney
(Baxendale e al., 2015). Mo eo e , he e a e ouchpoin s ha he i m canno con ol such as Pee - o-pee
in e ac ions wi h he b and (i.e. wo d-o -mou h S ephen e al., 2012). This makes assessing he ela i e
impo ance o hese di e se ouchpoin s in e ol ing he cus ome ’s a i udes, beha io s and hence whole
cus ome expe ience (Ve hoe e al. 2016).
2.5.4. De ining Touchpoin
Cus ome s ha e expe iences e e y ime hey ‘ ouch’ any pa o he p oduc , se ice, b and o o ganiza ion,
ac oss a ious channels (Pan ano and Milena, 2015; Zome dijk and Voss, 2010). This leads o he
impo ance o ou lining he e m “Touchpoin s; “Touchpoin ” can be de ined as any e bal (e.g., ad e ising)
o non- e bal (e.g., p oduc usage) inciden ha a consume pe cei es and ela es o a i m (Duncan and
25
Mo ia y, 2006). In o de o c ea e a supe io cus ome expe ience, a s udy by (F ow and Payne, 2007)
s a ed ha i ms should ocus on he ca e ul managemen o ouchpoin s. Touchpoin s e lec he momen s
when he cus ome in e ac s wi h o “ ouches” he o e ing (Pa ício e al., 2011; Ve hoe e al., 2009). These
con ac poin s can be di ec (e.g., physical se ice encoun e s) o indi ec (e.g., ad e ising) and comp ise
a ious cues (Meye and Schwage 2007). Whe eas cues e e o any hing, he cus ome pe cei es o senses
as he smalles s imulus uni in luencing cus ome expe iences, such as p oduc packing and logo design
(Bol on e al., 2014; B akus e al., 2009).
The cus ome sea ch p ocesses he so-called “Cus ome Jou ney in ol es a ange o disc e e encoun e s
wi h plen i ul ouchpoin s, such as ad e isemen s and WOM. Based on his, a ouchpoin can be de ined as
an episode o di ec o indi ec con ac wi h he b and. Neslin e al. (2006, p. 96) de ine ouchpoin as: “a
cus ome con ac poin , o a medium h ough which he i m and he cus ome in e ac ”. The emphasis he e
on in e ac ion commonly excludes one-way communica ions such as ele ision ad e ising, while he
emphasis on he i m may exclude b and encoun e s such as WOM in which he i m is no di ec ly in ol ed
(S. Baxendale e al., 2015).
2.5.5. Classi ica ions o Touchpoin s
Based on Bi ne e al. (1990) dis inc ion be ween a o able and un a o able ouchpoin s and He zbe g’s
mo i a ion-hygiene heo y (He zbe g 1987), a cus ome jou ney was iewed as con aining
wo ypes o
ouchpoin s:
dissa is ie and sa is ie ouchpoin s (K anzbühle e al. 2019).
Dissa is ie ouchpoin s
a e
he ones ha ela e o he main ea u es o a p oduc o se ice and o he ex insic needs o he consume
(Swan and Combs 1976; Zhang and Von D an 2000). These ouchpoin s mus p o ide he basic ea u es o
a oid consume s ha ing a nega i e expe ience. While
Sa is ie ouchpoin s
ela e o he alue imp o ing
ea u es o a p oduc o se ice (Va go e al. 2007).
Baxendale e al. (2015) classi ied ouch poin s in o 6 ypes; b and ad e ising, e aile ad e ising, in-s o e
communica ions, wo d-o -mou h, pee obse a ion (seeing o he cus ome s), and adi ional ea ned media
such as edi o ial. Despi e an ag eemen ha he cus ome decision jou ney is equi ed o be unde s ood
ac oss all ouchpoin s (Wiesel, Pauwels, and A s 2010), mos esea ch ocuses on pa s o his jou ney in
isola ion, such as b and ad e ising, in-s o e communica ions, o WOM. Such ocused s udies a e ce ainly
necessa y, o e ing insigh in o hese pa s o he jou ney. Howe e , manage s also ha e an in e es in
unde s anding compa a i e e ec s o di e se ouchpoin s in an equi alen manne o ha e a holis ic iew
26
(Baxendale e al., 2015).
Managing e ec i ely he di e en ouchpoin s leads o e ms such as “Touchpoin posi i i y” ha can be
de ined as he alence o he cus ome ’s a ec i e esponse o he encoun e (Kahn and Isen 1993). This will
ha e an impac on spending and epea pu chase in en ions (A nold and Reynolds 2009; Liu 2006). Posi i i y
is associa ed wi h ou comes including sa is ac ion (Wes b ook and Oli e 1991) and commi men (Ahluwalia,
Bu nk an , and Unna a 2000). Howe e he s udy o Ve hoe e al. (2016) iden i ied ou ca ego ies o
ouchpoin s which he cus ome deal h oughou he whole jou ney and which a ies acco ding o he na u e
o he p oduc /se ice o he cus ome own jou ney: B and-owned, pa ne -owned, cus ome -owned and
social/ex e nal.
•
B and-owned ouch poin s.
B and owned ouch poin s a e de ined as he cus ome in e ac ions
du ing he expe ience ha a e designed and managed by he i m and unde he i m’s con ol.
They include all b and-owned media (e.g., ad e ising, websi es, loyal y p og ams) and any
b and-con olled elemen s o he ma ke ing mix (e.g., a ibu es o p oduc , packaging, se ice,
p ice, con enience, sales o ce) (Ve hoe e al., 2016). Recen s udies by Baxendale e al.
(2015) and Hanssens e al. (2014), has shown ha ad e ising and p omo ion s ill in luence
cus ome p e e ences and a i udes. The e ec s o mo e di ec b and ouch poin s, such as
loyal y p og ams ha e ecei ed conside able a en ion in he cus ome ela ionship
managemen li e a u e; his esea ch has also conside ed he e ec s o hese p og ams on
cus ome a i udes (Venka esan e al., 2004; Ve hoe 2003).
• Pa ne -owned ouch poin s. Pa ne owned ouch poin s is de ined as cus ome in e ac ions
du ing he expe ience ha a e join ly designed, managed, o con olled by he i m and one o
mo e o i s pa ne s (Ve hoe e al., 2016). Pa ne s can include ma ke ing agencies,
mul ichannel dis ibu ion pa ne s, mul i endo loyal y p og am pa ne s, and communica ion
channel pa ne s (Ve hoe e al., 2016). Some imes he line be ween b and-owned and pa ne -
owned ouch poin s may blu . Fo example, a i m may c ea e i s own sma phone app, ypically
a b and-owned ouch poin , designed o wo k well on bo h he Google And oid pla o m and he
Apple iOS pla o m, a a speci ic poin in ime. Upda es and imp o emen s in unc ionali y by
Apple and Google may equi e upda es by he i m o i s own unc ionali y and design,
sugges ing ha pa ne s may also in luence some b and- owned ouch poin s (Ve hoe e al.,
2016).
33
alue. I goes beyond he p o ision o ou pu and in ol es esou ces in he cus ome ’s ne wo k (Va go and
Lusch 2008). S-D logic s a es ha mu ual se ice p o ision in which alue is dynamically co-c ea ed wi h he
cus ome as ei he “ alue-in-use” (Va go and Lusch 2004) o “ alue-in-con ex ” (Va go 2008). Howe e ,
esea ch has conside ed alue an indi idualized pe cep ion independen o he social con ex (Value-in-social-
con ex ). C i ically, Ed a dsson e al. (2011) s a ed ha alue co-c ea ion occu s wi hin social sys ems
acco ding o social cons uc ion heo ies. Value co-c ea ion goes beyond he indi idual and subjec i e
meaning; alue mus be comp ehended as pa o he collec i e social con ex ha in ol es mo e han
esou ces; o he ac o s wi hin a social sys em. Social s uc u es a e communica ed h ough he no ms,
alues, and e hical s anda ds ha highligh accep able and unaccep able du ing in e ac ions be ween pa ies,
which has consequences o se ice exchange and alue co-c ea ion (Ed a dsson e al., 2011).
Co-c ea ion esul ed in a shi o hinking om he i m as a de ine o alue o a mo e pa icipa i e p ocess
whe e cus ome s and i ms simul aneously gene a e and de elop meanings (Ind e al., 2013). In co-c ea ion,
consume s and o he s akeholde s a e in ol ed whe e hey p o ide hei ime and unde s anding o he
bene i o i ms, bu his needs o go beyond he co-op ing lens and engage no only consume s bu also
s akeholde s (Ind e al., 2013). F om he goods-dominan logic, he p oduce and consume a e sepa a ed
o p o ide maximum manu ac u ing e iciency. While om a se ice-dominan logic o ma ke ing wi h a ocus
on con inuous p ocesses, he consume is cons an ly engaged in he p oduc ion o alue (Va go and Lusch,
2004).
The se ice-dominan logic is cus ome -cen ic, which means coope a ing wi h and lea ning om cus ome s
and adap ing o hei dynamic needs. The p e iously men ioned means ha alue is de ined and co-c ea ed
wi h he cus ome a he han embedded in ou pu (Va go and Lusch, 2004). Consequen ly, p oduc ion does
no end wi h manu ac u ing, bu i is an in e media y p ocess (Va go and Lusch 2004). The cus ome has o
know how o use, main ain, epai , and adap he p oduc /se ice o his/he needs, usage, and beha io s.
By using a p oduc , he cus ome con inues he ma ke ing, consump ion, alue-c ea ion, and deli e y
p ocesses (Va go and Lusch 2004). P ac i ione s and schola s a e shi ing owa d a con inuous p ocess
whe e he goal is no o sepa a e p oduc ion and consump ion bu o iew he cus ome s as co-p oduce s
(Va go and Lusch 2004). No mann and Rami ez (1993, p. 69) no e ha “ he key o c ea ing alue is o
cop oduce o e ings ha mobilize cus ome s.” The ma ke has become a enue o p oac i e cus ome
in ol emen , and hey a gue o co-op ing cus ome in ol emen in he alue-c ea ion p ocess (P ahalad and
Ramaswamy, 2000). In summa y, he cus ome becomes p ima ily an ope an esou ce (co-p oduce ) a he
34
han an ope and esou ce (“ a ge ”) and can be in ol ed in he en i e alue and se ice chain in ac ing on
ope and esou ces (Va go and Lusch 2004).
Va go and Lusch (2006,2008)
modi ied he six h ounda ional p emise; (FP6: The cus ome is always a co-
p oduce ) o
(FP6: The cus ome is always a co-c ea o o alue).
They a gued ha S-D logic is mainly
abou alue c ea ion a he han “p oduc ion,” making ou pu uni s. The di e ence be ween co-c ea ion o
alue and co-p oduc ion is signi ican o he S-D logic. Va go and Lusch (2008) a gued ha co-p oduc ion is
a componen and pa o alue co-c ea ion and in ol es de eloping he co e o e ing i sel . Co-p oduc ion can
happen h ough sha ed in en i eness, co-design, o sha ed p oduc ion o ela ed goods and wi h cus ome s
and any o he pa ne s (Va go and Lusch 2006). While co-c ea ion highligh s ha alue is gained wi h ma ke
exchanges which canno be c ea ed unila e ally bu cons an ly in ol e a unique combina ion o esou ces
and dis inc i e alue de e mina ion. Mo eo e , he engagemen in “co-p oduc ion” is olun a y and can di e
om no hing a all o ex ensi e co-p oduc ion ac i i ies by he cus ome (Va go and Lusch 2008).
La e on, Va go and Lusch again modi ied he six h ounda ional p emise again om “The cus ome is always
a co-c ea o o alue” (Va go and Lusch, 2008) o
“Value is co-c ea ed by mul iple ac o s, always
including he bene icia y”
(Va go and Lusch, 2016).
Va go and Lusch a gued ha modi ying he six h
ounda ional p emise is because alue co-c ea ion can be “ he ac ions o mul iple ac o s, o en unawa e o
each o he , ha con ibu e o each o he ’s wellbeing” (Va go and Lusch, 2016; P.8). Va go and Lusch
di e en ia ed be ween opposing posi ions; one is no ma i e, and he o he is posi i e. The no ma i e
pe spec i e is seen by academics in which i ms should always engage cus ome s (some imes o he ac o s)
in he design, de ini ion, c ea ion, comple ion o i m ou pu ; in o he wo ds, co-p oduc ion (Va go and Lusch
2016). This no ma i e iew a gued ha i is op ional (Va go and Lusch 2008) a ec ed by ac o s such as he
knowledge and desi e o he bene icia y and cus ome p e e ences...E c. Howe e , co-c ea ion o Value is a
posi i e s a emen such as human sys ems ha a e cha ac e ized by specializa ion and hus
in e dependency. Value is always co-c ea ed. Thus, co-c ea ion o alue, unlike co-p oduc ion, is no op ional
(Va go and Lusch 2016).
Va go and Lusch (2016) once mo e modi ied he ounda ional p emises o S-D logic o Axioms. This
pe spec i e allowed a mo e holis ic, dynamic, and ealis ic iew o alue co-c ea ion h ough he exchange,
which does no ha e o be dyadic (cus ome and i m) bu also in ol es ac o s
(Va go and Lusch 2016).
The
six h ounda ional p emise is modi ied om (FP6: he cus ome is always a co-c ea o o alue) o
(Axiom
2/FP6: Value is co-c ea ed by mul iple ac o s, always including he bene icia y).
This new
35
pe spec i e in ol es ins i u ions- ules, no ms, meanings, symbols, p ac ices, and simila aides o
collabo a ion and ins i u ional a angemen s (Va go and Lusch 2016). “I has been becoming clea e o e
he las se e al yea s ha he na a i e o alue co-c ea ion is de eloping in o one o esou ce-in eg a ing,
ecip ocal-se ice- p o iding ac o s co-c ea ing alue h ough holis ic, meaning-laden expe iences in nes ed
and o e lapping se ice ecosys ems, go e ned and e alua ed h ough hei ins i u ional a angemen s”
(Va go and Lusch 2016, p.7).
“Value co-c ea ion is coo dina ed h ough ac o -gene a ed
ins i u ions and ins i u ional a angemen s” is Axiom 5/FP11
(Va go and Lusch 2016, P.18).
Howe e , esea che s c i icized alue co-c ea ion, a guing ha alue is only co-c ea ed in speci ic si ua ions
when di ec / pe sonal in e ac ions be ween he bene icia y and se ice p o ide . The p e iously men ioned
makes alue co-c ea ion only acili a ed by he se ice p o ide bu c ea ed only by he cus ome (G on oos
e al., 2013). The cus ome pe cei es and de e mines alue based on alue-in-use (Va go and Lusch 2004,
p.7). G on oos e al. (2013) c i icized he idea o alue in use because his leads o dealing wi h alue c ea ion
as an all-encompassing p ocess, making he locus o alue unclea . A guably, i canno be alue-in-exchange
because he cus ome ’s ac ions du ing usage a e included. I canno also be alue-in-use because he i m’s
ac i i ies a e included (G on oos e al., 2013). Value c ea ion is he cus ome ’s c ea ion o alue-in-use du ing
usage, whe e alue is buil h ough expe iences (G on oos e al., 2013; Ed a dsson e al., 2011). G on oos
e al. (2013) a gued ha he cus ome is he c ea o o alue; his was c i icized by schola s s a ing ha
alue co-c ea ion does no happen h ough he ac i i ies o a single ac o such as cus ome o be ween a
i m and i s cus ome s bu among a whole a ie y o ac o s (Va go and Lusch 2016). Value is no c ea ed
solely o dyadically; i is c ea ed by in eg a ing esou ces o e ed by sou ces such as ma ke - acing, p i a e
and public ac o s. In b ie , i has been conclusi ely shown ha consume s and se ice p o ide s ac oss
di e se domains bene i om alue co-c ea ion (Va go e al. 2017) making VCC a ounda ion o any i m’s
success.
The ollowing able, (Table 3) summa izes he p e ious discussion o how he ounda ional p emises o S-D
logic by Va go and Lusch had e ol ed o e he yea s.
36
Table 3 - The E olu ion o he Founda ional P emises.
Yea
Founda ional P emise (FP)
2004
FP6: The cus ome is always a co-p oduce .
2006
FP6: The cus ome is always a co-c ea o o alue.
2008
FP6: The cus ome is always a co-c ea o o alue.
2016
FP6/Axiom 2: Value is coc ea ed by mul iple ac o s, always including he bene icia y.
Axiom 5/FP11: Value co-c ea ion is coo dina ed h ough ac o -gene a ed ins i u ions and
ins i u ional a angemen s.
As i ms can co-c ea e alue wi h he cus ome , hey can also co-des uc ; he ollowing sec ion explains he
dis inc ion be ween alue co-c ea ion and alue co-des uc ion.
2.8. Value Co-c ea ion Vs Co-des uc ion
Value is no c ea ed and deli e ed o he passi e cus ome bu embedded in he co-c ea ion p ocess be ween
he i m and i s ac i e cus ome h ough in e ac ion and dialogue (Payne e al., 2009). The ole o ma ke ing
has al e ed o co-c ea e alue by exchanging knowledge and skills wi h cus ome s (Va go and Lusch 2004)
and co-p oducing unique expe iences (P ahalad e al., 2004). Va go and Lusch (2008) ocus on he
signi icance o bo h "Ope an esou ces" ( e e ing o esou ces ha a e capable o ac ing on o he esou ces
such as skills and knowledge) and "Ope and esou ces" ( e e ing o esou ces ac ed upon such as goods).
Fu he mo e, how in eg a ing hese esou ces and applica ions c ea ed alue h ough in e ac ion and
exchange o a se ice. Resou ce in eg a ion allows access o essen ial esou ces and oppo uni ies o gain
new esou ces o po en ial ecipien s (Va go and Lusch, 2011). Thus, he alue is co-c ea ed and leads o
he de elopmen o a sys em's well-being (Quach e al., 2017).
Two sides o in e ac i e alue o ma ion can exis oge he : alue co-c ea ion and co-des uc ion (Smi h 2013;
Co a e al., 2011). Du ing se ice in e ac ion, cus ome s can be alue c ea o s and can be alue des uc o s
i hey do no play hei s a ed oles (Eche e i e al., 2012). Co-des uc ion o alue may happen acciden ally
o in en ionally. Fo example, when a high e o o massi e esou ces is needed o cus ome pa icipa ion
37
in alue co-c ea ion, his will nega i ely a ec cus ome alue pe cep ion. Nega i e engagemen can occu
h ough cus ome s' nega i e hough s, eelings, and beha io s owa d he i m du ing in e ac ion (Hollebeek
and Chen 2014). Ple e al. (2010) de ine alue co-des uc ion as a decline in a cus ome 's o a i m's well-
being due o an in e ac ional p ocess be ween hem. Likewise, Eche e i e al. (2011) emphasize ha alue
can be collabo a i ely co-des oyed in he p ocess o in e ac ion be ween he cus ome and he i m. Fo
ins ance, cus ome s' nega i e engagemen has ad e se e ec s, such as empo a y boyco and nega i e
commen s agains o he membe s (Bowden e al., 2017). Also, in e ac ions, whe e cus ome s and
employees blame each o he du ing se ice encoun e s, c ea e a communica ion gap ha esul s in co-
des uc ion o alue (Kashi e al., 2015).
Value co-des uc ion is a ibu ed o he he e ogenei y in se ice deli e y o e ime (Makkonen e al., 2017).
Mo eo e , a sou ce o alue co-des uc ion wi h a ocus on he ole o expec a ions and esou ce loss can be
a lack o ha mony (Smi h 2013). Th oughou he in e ac ion, cus ome s o e esou ces such as o e
esou ces, o example, ma e ial (e.g., goods), condi ions (e.g., social s a us), sel (e.g., sel -es eem), social
(e.g., suppo ), and ene gies (e.g., money, in o ma ion) (Hob oll, 2011) while he o ganiza ion's is ecei ing
alue p oposi ion o esou ce o e (Plé e al., 2010). In o he wo ds, o ganiza ions also pa icipa e in his
p ocess by o e ing hei esou ces, such as people, echnology, and in o ma ion (Maglio e al., 2008). The e
a e se e al scena ios whe e he cus ome expe iences esou ce misuse and loss o well-being, esul ing in
alue co-des uc ion. They a e: (1) he i m ails o p o ide i s alue p oposi ion due o i s inabili y o o e
expec ed esou ces; (2) he cus ome ails o gain expec ed/desi ed esou ces du ing he esou ce in eg a ion
p ocess; (3) he cus ome con on s an unexpec ed loss o accumula ed esou ces; (4) a mix o he ou
men ioned scena ios (Smi h, 2013).
Following ha , alue co-des uc ion esul s om i ms and cus ome s depending on incong uen elemen s o
p ac ice; o ins ance, i ms and cus ome s ail o balance hei unde s anding and expec a ions in a speci ic
in e ac ion (Eche e i e al., 2011). This insu icien anspa ency can esul in unease, ne ousness, and
s ess ha nega i ely in luence well-being (Moschis e al., 2011). In o he wo ds, due o unexpec ed beha io ,
esou ces a e acciden ally o in en ionally misused, which leads o he disag eemen s be ween he desi ed
and ac ual s a es, and e en ually alue co-des uc ion (Plé e al., 2010). Cus ome s ha e di e en
expec a ions, de e mining how hey use hei esou ces in in e ac ion wi h he b and. In addi ion, he co-
c ea ion and co-des uc ion o he expe ience in ol e con e sa ions and sophis ica ed in e ac ions be ween
many pa ies, such as he b and i sel , s a , cus ome s, and o he ela ed g oups, o example, consump ion
38
communi ies and social ne wo k use s (Quach e al., 2017) which leads ha i ms should conside in hei
dealings wi h he cus ome s. The nex sec ion explains he dimensions o he alue co-c ea ion known as
DART scale; which a e dialogue, access, anspa ency and isk-bene i .
2.9. The Dimensions o Value Co-c ea ion
The base o in e ac ion be ween he i m and he cus ome is o med by he building blocks o in e ac ions
be ween i ms and consume s ha help co-c ea ing alue and expe iences. The nex sec ion explains he
dimensions o alue co-c ea ion. The dimensions a e Dialog and in e ac ion wi h cus ome s; access,
knowledge sha ing and anspa ency and inally he isk-bene i s unde s anding.
2.9.1. Dialogue and In e ac ion
The basis o in e ac ions be ween he i m and cus ome s ha make co-c ea ion o expe iences easy and
smoo h a e; Dialog, access, isk-bene i s unde s anding, and anspa ency (P ahalad and Ramaswamy,
2004b). Dialogue in he VCC goes beyond he adi ional di ec ion low o in o ma ion om he i m o he
consume ; howe e , i de elops o he c ea ion o sha ed meaning ha “ equi e deep engagemen , li ely
in e ac i i y, empa he ic unde s anding and a willingness by bo h pa ies o ac , especially when hey a e
odds” upon he in o ma ion ecei ed (P ahalad e al., 2002, p.10). Howe e , o ha e a success ul dialog and
de elop a sha ed solu ion, equi y mus be di ided be ween he i m and he cus ome whe e bo h a e p oblem
sol e s (P ahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004b; Ranjan e al., 2016). The dialog mus co e he conce n o bo h
he i m and he cus ome (P ahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004b). The in o ma ion in as uc u e mus ocus
on he cus ome and u ge ac i e engagemen in he co-c ea ion o expe ience, including in o ma ion sea ch,
he con igu a ion o p oduc s/se ices, ul illmen , and consump ion (P ahalad and Ramaswamy (2004b).
Resea che s poin ed ou o dialog as co-p oduc ion (Ranjan e al., 2016). Co-p oduc ion is he di ec o
indi ec co-wo king wi h cus ome s (Hu and McLoughlin 2012). Also, i con ibu es o he p oduc /se ice
design p ocess (Auh e al., 2007; Da o-on and Beasley 2005; E ga 2008; Fang e al. 2008; Lemke e al.
2011). Cus ome pa icipa ion can play a pa h ough applying knowledge and sha ing in o ma ion wi h he
i m (Boselli e al., 2008). Co-p oduc ion is a se o ac i i ies ca ied ou by economic and social ac o s wi hin
ne wo ks (Va go and Lusch 2008). I is execu ed h ough collabo a ion (Lusch e al., 2007) and dialog
(G ön oos, 2012) o in eg a e mu ual esou ces in o alue con igu a ion (Ballan yne e al., 2008). Mo eo e ,
Equi y is he willingness o he i m o sha e con ol o imp o e consume empowe men and his/he desi e
39
o pa icipa e in he co-c ea ion o ac i i ies (Bol on e al., 2009; Fishe e al., 2011; Hoye e al., 2010).
Equi y is demons a ed in he cus ome cen ism by he i m (P ahalad and Ramaswamy 2002), eadiness
o di ide con ol (Fishe e al., 2011), and p o ision o a acili a i e en i onmen (Payne e al. 2009; S o backa
e al., 2011). Equi y esis s cen aliza ion endencies o se in mo ion lows and unexpec ed connec ions ha
allow join ac ion and esemblance o in e es and goals, leading o alue ac ualiza ion and supe io
in eg a ion o esou ces (Fishe e al., 2011; G ön oos 2008; Ka pen e al. 2012). Re e ing o Equi y,
esea che s acknowledged ha alue co-c ea ion is di icul i he dialog be ween cus ome and i m is
unequal. Fu he mo e, o an ac i e dialog and he de elopmen o a sha ed solu ion, he i m, and he
cus ome mus become equal and join p oblem sol e s (P ahalad and Ramaswamy (2004b).
Resea che s pinpoin ed ha alue can be co-c ea ed h ough in e ac ion. In e ac ion is he p ima y media o
be ween pa ies engaged in co-p oduc ion, as i is a chance o comp ehend, sha e and sa is y needs and
e alua e and adjus esou ce commi men s (Me z e al., 2009; P ahalad e al., 2004a). S udies by
(Ed a dsson e al. 2011; O danini e al. 2011) shed ligh on consume 's ole in join p oduc ion due o hei
in e ac i e pa icipa ion and cons uc i e pa icipa ion (Chen e al., 2011; Hun e al. 2012). In e ac ion is
demons a ed h ough pa icipa ion (G ön oos e al., 2011; Kohle e al. 2011), dialog (Payne e al. 2008),
and engagemen (Zhang e al., 2008), and i enables in ica e exchange by aising he oppo uni y o p o iding
solu ions (Bagozzi e al. 2012). The c i icism and sugges ions abou a p oduc o se ice ha a e exchanged
du ing a ansac ion inc ease in ol emen o en i ies and de elop sensing, esponding, and b idging o spa ial
and empo al gaps in ansac ions (Chan e al. 2010). The e o e, i ms y o c ea e alue by communica ing
he ea u es and bene i s o consume s h ough using mul iple channels such as websi e and social media
(Hinson e al., 2019). Fo ins ance, when cus ome s ecei e messages om he i ms, cus ome s co-c ea e
alue when hey p o ide sugges ions/ eedback o imp o ing he i ms, p o ide solu ions o ce ain
p oblems o become in ol ed in a new p oduc de elopmen p ocess (Nys een e al., 2014). Hence he
in e ac ion/dialogue is c i ical o i ms o help hem in imp o ing he quali y o hei p oduc s (Me z e al.,
2018); and he be e he quali y o he dialogue, he mo e aluable he co-c ea ed expe ience (Binkho s &
Dekke ,2009).
40
2.9.2. Access, Knowledge sha ing and T anspa ency
To ha e a signi ican dialogue, cus ome s mus ha e immedia e and imely access o people and esou ces
ha acili a e a mo e e oca i e exchange o in o ma ion and ideas. Access makes he dialogue easie and
en ails i ms o enhance when, whe e and how consume s a e co-c ea ing alue wi h he i m. Fi ms mus
look o ways o acili a e access o p ocesses, people, and esou ces used o deli e hei p oduc s/se ices
a he han conside ing cus ome s as ou side s o he alue c ea ion (Albinsson e al., 2016). Cus ome s
mus ha e he same access and anspa ency o in o ma ion p ecisely as he i m. Fi ms used o bene i
om using he in o ma ion unequally be ween hem and he cus ome s. Because o he openness o
communica ion now, i is much easie o he cus ome s o ge access o as much in o ma ion as hey need
om o he cus ome s and he i m. Hence bo h access and anspa ency a e signi ican o a success ul
dialog (P ahalad and Ramaswamy 2004b). T anspa ency in VCC e lec s ha , i ms should sha e in o ma ion
ha p e iously may ha e been conside ed p op ie a y and/o s a egically dange ous o expose ou side he
i m's in e nal en i onmen . In o ma ion sha ed can be di e se (e.g., ansac ion ees, secu i y ope a ions,
p o i ma gins, p oduc de elopmen de ails) (Albinsson e al., 2016).
Fi ms ha e always opposed access and anspa ency; p o iding isk in o ma ion is o en manda ed, bu i
mus become olun a y. Resea che s deno ed ha a c i ical dimension o alue co-c ea ion is knowledge
sha ing. Knowledge sha ing is one o he essen ial ea u es ha in ol e consume s' sha ing knowledge, ideas,
and c ea i i y in he o ma ion o he cu en and u u e needs (Zhang e al., 2008). The p e iously men ioned
is consis en wi h Maglio e al. (2008), who iewed ha sha ing in o ma ion om he accumula ed p eceding
lea ning, ideas, c ea i i y, and eal-li e si ua ions be ween he consume and he i m p o ide e iciency and
co-c ea es alue. Sha ing in o ma ion leads o be e esul s han wha is achie ed by wo king independen ly
due o econcilia ion, sha ed in en i eness, and be e exp ession and e alua ion o needs (Enz e al., 2012;
G o e e al., 2012). Fishe and Smi h (2011) s a ed ha he esul s due o knowledge sha ing ini ia e skills
a a ious imes and assis in add essing emo ional issues ha help co-c ea e alue. Knowledge sha ing can
be indica ed as "Access" and "T anspa ency" whe e he cus ome mus ha e he same access and
anspa ency o he in o ma ion.
Resea che s exp essed ha alue is co-c ea ed h ough ela ionship. Join , mu ual, and i e a i e p ocesses
a e he basis o he ela ionship be ween he cus ome and he objec in an en i onmen o ac i e
communica ion and engagemen (Kuma e al., 2016). Rela ionship be ween he i m and he cus ome can
lead o cus ome empowe men o gene a e solu ions (Bonsu e al., 2008) and hence co-c ea e alue.
41
Madha a am e al. (2008) a gue ha cus ome ela ional capabili ies c ea e alue because hey aise he
possibili ies o sense-and- espond and sel - ein o ce alue cycles o dynamic exchange ins ead o linea
in e ac ion. Rela ionship demons a es in he o m o coope a ion (Sawhney e al. 2005), engagemen and
use o mu ual esou ces (Ng e al. 2009), and ecip oci y (Chandle and Va go 2011). T anspa ency is he
“symme y o in o ma ion du ing in e ac ions, which enables he ise o s a egic in o ma ion and us capi al
o bo h pa ne s” (Spena e al., 2012, p. 24). In b ie , anspa ency is essen ial o a success ul dialogue
be ween equal pa ne s. A i m’s openness aids us , equali y, and discussion, which leads o enhanced
cus ome expe ience (Solakis e al., 2017).
2.9.3. Risk-Bene i E alua ion
Risk assessmen s a es ha dialogue and access make cus ome s alue co-c ea o s, pa ially esponsible o
he esul s o he alue co-c ea ion p ocess. Risk assessmen p o ides cus ome s comple e and p ecise
in o ma ion ega ding he cos s and bene i s o hei con ibu ions, consequen ly easing decisions ega ding
he isk associa ed wi h he o e ing (Albinsson e al., 2016). Al hough adi ional cen ic i ms conside such
in o ma ion disclosu e a h ea , VCC in ol es i ms ea ing cus ome s as us ed pa ne s wo king oge he
owa d a common alue op imiza ion. (Albinsson e al., 2016).
Dialog, access, and anspa ency can lead o a be e e alua ion by he cus ome o he isk-bene i s o a
speci ic decision o ac . Fo example, he obacco company is obliged o educa e cus ome s on he isk o
smoking, bu i he cus ome insis s on smoking, he/she mus ake esponsibili y o his/he ac ions
(P ahalad and Ramaswamy 2004b). All he p e iously men ioned leads o pe sonalized co-c ea ion
expe iences as a sou ce o unique alue p o ided by he i m. Co-c ea ion is no abou mino changes o he
adi ional sys em. I is nei he he ans e no ou sou cing o ac i i ies o cus ome s no cus omiza ion o
p oduc s/se ices. Howe e , he co-c ea ion o alue is h ough pe sonalized in e ac ions based on how each
cus ome wan s o in e ac wi h he i m a e e y poin o in e ac ion (P ahalad and Ramaswamy (2004b).
The e o e, i ms should communica e no only he bene i s, bu also he po en ial isks o hei p oposals o
help hei cus ome s make in o med decisions and boos us be ween hem (P ahalad & Ramaswamy,
2004).
42
2.10. Cus ome Engagemen
The concep o engagemen is no new in ma ke ing (B andão e al., 2019). The ma ke ing li e a u e s udied
he engagemen concep (Hollebeek, 2011) based on i s g ea a ie y and weal h o in o ma ion (B andão e
al., 2019). Engagemen is a mul i-dimensional concep ha conside s consume s' in e ac i e b and- ela ed
expe iences (B odie e al., 2013). I has been o in e es o p ac i ione s and academics in many social
sciences, o example, sociology, psychology, poli ical science, and o ganiza ional (Hollebeek e al., 2014;
B odie e al., 2011; Bowden, 2009). Recen ly, cus ome engagemen (CE), which e e s o a cus ome 's
esou ce in es men in his/he b and in e ac ions (Hollebeek e al., 2019), has been decla ed as an essen ial
alue-c ea ing o o ganiza ions (Chang e al., 2021). Fo example, CE appea s o con ibu e o sales
inc eases, g ea e sha e-o -walle , epu a ional ad ancemen , and supe io compe i i e ad an age and
p o i abili y (P en ice e al., 2019; Hollebeek e al., 2011). Mo eo e , he no ion o cus ome engagemen is
closely connec ed o he heo y o ela ionship ma ke ing (Ashley e al., 2011). I is ecognized ha he
cus ome 's beha io is in luenced by he expe iences aking place in an inc easingly complex en i onmen
(B andão e al., 2019). Thus, i can be hough ha he consume engagemen concep cen e s on speci ic
in e ac i e cus ome expe iences (B odie e al., 2011).
Ea lie academics and p ac i ione s ha e always been in e es ed in managing and unde s anding he
cus ome ; in he 1990s, he only goal o ma ke ing was cus ome ansac ions. Then i e ol ed o e ms such
as cus ome sa is ac ion and cus ome loyal y. Academics and manage s ealized o e ime ha i is no
enough o sa is y he cus ome 's needs o make him/he loyal and p o i able (Kuma and Pansa i, 2017).
Loyal y and sa is ac ion need o e ol e o a highe le el o di e en ia ion and a compe i i e ad an age whe e
he goal o i ms de eloped om ela ionship ma ke ing o engaging he cus ome in all possible ways (Kuma
and Pansa i 2017).
Fi ms engage hei cus ome s wo ldwide; like Coca-Cola and Do e, hey ha e campaigns wo ldwide ha aim
o es ablish an emo ional bond be ween he company and he cus ome s and ha e been he cen e o
con e sa ions among cus ome s o hei c ea i e and emo ional in luence. Fi ms like hese ha e exe ed an
e o o build b and- ela ed con e sa ions and engage hei cus ome s in e e y possible way (Kuma and
Pansa i 2017). They ha e g adually shi ed hei ocus om "selling" o "emo ionally connec ing" wi h hei
cus ome s o inc ease sales and ensu e a li e ime o p o i able loyal y. In o he wo ds, a i m's ocus is shi ing
o pe sonalizing in e ac ions, deligh ing i s audience, and unde s anding cus ome s' unique challenges o
49
Table 4 con inua ion
Cus ome
sa is ac ion
A judgmen ha a p oduc /se ice i sel o i s
ea u e p o ided a pleasu able le el o
consump ion- ela ed ul illmen (Oli e 1997).
“I a cus ome is sa is ied wi h a p oduc /se ice
hen he/she may buy i again. Howe e , i he
cus ome is engaged, he would go beyond
pu chases and p o ide e e al, alk abou he
p oduc on social media, p o ide eedback o he
i m which a e all componen s o cus ome
engagemen ” (Kuma & Pansa i 2017).
Cus ome loyal y
A a o able a i ude owa d a b and esul ing in
consis en pu chase o he b and o e ime (Assael
1992).
“Loyal y measu es epea ed ansac ions o he
cus ome and ocuses only on he e enues o he
i m. Cus ome engagemen ocuses on 4
di e en beha io s (Pu chase, e e als, in luence
and eedback)” (Kuma & Pansa i 2017).
Cus ome us
Willingness o ely on an exchange pa ne in whom
one has con idence (Moo man e al. 1993).
“T us is he b ead h o he a i ude owa d he
b and, which is embedded in cus ome
engagemen in he o m o enhanced pu chases,
e e als and WOM” (Kuma & Pansa i 2017).
Cus ome
commi men
An endu ing desi e o main ain a alued
ela ionship (Moo man e al. 1992).
“Commi men is he dep h o he a i ude owa d
he b and, which is embedded in he cus ome
engagemen amewo k in he o m o spending
mo e esou ces ( ime and money)” (Kuma &
Pansa i 2017).
Cus ome b and
alue
The di e en ial e ec o a cus ome ’s b and
knowledge, b and a i ude, b and pu chase
in en ion and b and beha io on his/he esponse
o he ma ke ing o a b and (Kuma e al. 2015).
“Cus ome b and alue o e s a quan i a i e iew
o he cus ome pe cep ions o he b and. I
in e ac s wi h he componen s o cus ome
engagemen o de elop a good cus ome - i m
ela ionship” (Kuma & Pansa i 2017).
50
2.13. Cus ome Engagemen Dimensions
Hollebeek e al. (2014) s a ed ha cus ome engagemen has h ee dimensions cogni i e, emo ional, and
beha io al. Fi s , “
Cogni i e Engagemen ”
, known as cogni i e p ocessing, is he cus ome 's le el o b and-
ela ed hough and men al elabo a ion du ing in e ac ions. Second,
“Emo ional Engagemen ”,
known as
a ec ion, is he cus ome 's le el o posi i e b and- ela ed emo ions. Besides hi d,
“Beha io al Engagemen ”,
known as ac i a ion, is he cus ome 's le el o ene gy, e o , and ime spen on he b and in e ac ion.
Beha io al mani es a ion include pa icipa ion in ac i i ies, such as cus ome - o-cus ome in e ac ions,
blogging, w i ing e iews, as well as o he simila ac i i ies ha a e cen e ed on he b and (So e al., 2014).
In line wi h Hollebeek e al. (2014), esea che s iewed cus ome engagemen as he cus ome 's connec ion
o a b and shown in cogni i e, a ec i e, and beha io al ac ions away om he pu chase si ua ion (So e al.,
2014).
Howe e , Kuma e al. (2016) s a ed ha cus ome engagemen is classi ied in o di ec engagemen , such
as cus ome pu chases, and indi ec engagemen , such as he cus ome in luence, cus ome e e als, and
cus ome knowledge.
• Cus ome Pu chases: Gup a e al. (2004) s a ed ha he cus ome pu chasing o goods/se ices
adds o he i m alue. Kuma (2008) also no ed ha i ms who ealloca ed hei esou ces based
on he cus ome pu chases had an inc ease in e enue abou 20 million dolla s while keeping he
le el o ma ke ing as i is; so he p ima y conce n o he i ms now is o gain mo e p o i s om each
cus ome o e a longe - e m which is known as he Cus ome Li e ime Value (CLV). CLV is he
p esen alue o u u e p o i s gene a ed om a cus ome o e his o he business li e wi h he i m.
I conside s he o al inancial con ibu ion o ansac ions—i.e., e enues minus cos s—o a cus ome
o e his o he en i e li e wi h he company and he e o e e lec s he u u e p o i abili y o he
cus ome (Kuma e al., 2010).
• Cus ome Re e als: The e is a signi ican in luence in expanding p oduc s and se ices h ough
human in e ac ions (i.e., e e als, obse a ion o p oduc owne s.). The online en i onmen p o ides
inc eased in e ac i e and pe sonalized ma ke ing (Kuma e al., 2010). Fi ms use he e e al
p og ams by p o iding ewa ds o exis ing cus ome s, and hese cus ome s make ecommenda ions
o o he s, hus widening he cus ome base. An essen ial componen o maximizing he cus ome
51
base alue is o de e mine how much o each cus ome ’s alue esul s om his o he e e als o
new cus ome s (CRV) due o a i m-ini ia ed and -incen i ized e e al p og am. Re e als a e essen ial
as hey can educe acquisi ion cos s o he i m and b ing in u u e e enue (Kuma e al., 2010).
Ryu and Feick (2007) ind ha ewa ds a e especially e ec i e in inc easing e e als o weak ies in
a cus ome ’s ne wo k; hus, e e als would be mo e e icien o cus ome s who ha e s onge bonds
and connec ions o o he s in hei ne wo k. Some cus ome s a e no a ac ed o he i m’s o e ings
h ough adi ional channels, so e e als a e a ool o a ac his ype o cus ome (Kuma e al.,
2010), hus con ibu ing indi ec ly o he i m’s pe o mance.
• Cus ome In luence: This is a subs an ial beha io whe e he consume olun a ily p o ides wo d
o mou h (WOM) h ough alking abou he i ms’ p oduc s/se ices. I he consume gene a es
posi i e WOM and con inces o he cus ome s o pu chase he i ms’ p oduc s/se ices, so his/he
cus ome in luence inc eases, and he opposi e occu s when he/she gene a es a nega i e WOM
(Kuma e al. 2010). Cus ome s gained and acqui ed by he i m h ough WOM will in luence he
e u n on he i m’s ma ke ing in es men s mo e han adi ional ma ke ing ac i i ies (Villanue a,
Yoo, and Hanssens 2008). Wha dis inguishes cus ome in luence om cus ome e e als is ha ;
cus ome e e als concen a e on u ning p ospec s in o cus ome s h ough o mal e e al
p og ams, while cus ome in luence concen a es on bo h p ospec s and exis ing cus ome s.
Online pla o ms o e a ious enues o consume s o sha e hei iews, p e e ences, o expe iences wi h
o he s, as well as oppo uni ies o i ms o ake ad an age o WOM ma ke ing (Godes and Mayzlin 2004;
Hennig-Thu au e al. 2010). Mo eo e , he e olu ion o social ne wo king si es has allowed cus ome s o
b oaden hei connec ions wi h o he s by cons uc ing and sus aining a ne wo k o iends o social o
p o essional in e ac ion and sha ing ideas wi h o he s (T uso , Bucklin, and Pauwels 2009). Social media
nowadays can be conside ed one o he mos p o i able and challenging o i ms as i signi ican ly in luences
cus ome s posi i ely o nega i ely; cus ome s a e using i inc easingly o exchange in o ma ion abou
goods/se ices. Social media pla o ms ha e a massi e in luence on communi ies compa ed o adi ional
ma ke ing (T uso e al. 2009), which sheds ligh on he impo ance o he i ms o enhance he social
media s a egy o gain and engage cus ome s in he long e m. Cus ome in luence alue (CIV) is he alue
o a cus ome in a “ne wo k,” bu Kuma e al. (2010) s a ed ha hey had chosen CIV because i is plausible
52
ha an indi idual has an ex ensi e ne wo k o online social acquain ances bu is no necessa ily in luen ial
wi hin he ne wo k.
• Cus ome Knowledge: Cus ome s can o e eedback o ecommenda ions o i ms o de elop
hei p oduc s/se ices. The i m’s added alue is gained when cus ome s p o ide hei knowledge
h ough engaging in he knowledge de elopmen p ocess o comp ehend hei p e e ences (Joshi
and Sha ma 2004). The p e iously men ioned is consis en wi h he s udy o Coope and
Kleinschmid (1995), who no ed ha a c i ical an eceden o new p oduc success is o de elop an
unde s anding o cus ome p e e ences. The p e iously men ion ed is known as cus ome knowledge
de elopmen ; i ms can ei he de elop exis ing goods/se ices and/o c ea e new p oduc s (Kuma
and Bhagwa 2010). Cus ome s can c ea e alue o i ms h ough hei pa icipa ion in he p ocess
o new p oduc de elopmen , co-c ea ion and hei willingness o o e hei eedback o inno a ions
and de elopmen s o exis ing p oduc s/se ices (Kuma e al. 2010). Fi ms, o ins ance, can use
he In e ne as a pla o m o such collabo a ion wi h cus ome s p o iding a chance o easily o e
sugges ions and inpu o he i m (Sawhney e al. 2005).
The nex able ( able 5) summa izes he engagemen concep ualiza ions in he ma ke ing li e a u e.
Table 5 - The Engagemen De ini ions and hei Dimensions
Cus ome Engagemen De ini ion
Cus ome Engagemen Dimensions
Sou ce
“A beha io al mani es a ion owa d he b and
o i m ha goes beyond ansac ions”
• Blogging
• Co-c ea ion wi h new p oduc de elopmen
ac i i ies.
• P o iding cus ome a ings and e iews.
• Cus ome - o-cus ome in e ac ions (e.g.,
wo d o mou h).
Ve hoe e al.
(2010, p. 247)
“A psychological s a e ha occu s by i ue o
in e ac i e, co-c ea i e cus ome expe iences
wi h a ocal agen /objec (e.g., a b and) in
se ice ela ionships”
• Cogni i e
• Emo ional
• Beha io al
B odie e al.
(2011, p. 260)
53
Table 5 con inua ion
“Beyond he pu chase, e en s and ac i i ies
engaged in by he consume ha a e no
di ec ly ela ed o sea ch, al e na i e
e alua ion and decision- making in ol ing
b and choice”
• Feedback o ma ke e s, consume s, and
socie y.
• Pa icipa ion in ac i i ies like skill
de elopmen , c ea i e e en s, online
ac i i ies, and p oduc inno a ion.
• Wo d o mou h.
Vi ek e al.
(2012, p. 127)
“Volun a y, disc e iona y cus ome beha io s
wi h a i m ocus, cus ome s’ in e ac i e, co-
c ea i e expe iences wi h a i m”
• Compliance (e.g., showing espec o
employees, ollowing o ganiza ional ules and
p ocedu es.
• Coope a ion (e.g., p o iding in o ma ion and
assis ance o employees).
• Feedback (e.g., sugges ions o p oduc
imp o emen s, pa icipa ion in new p oduc
de elopmen ).
• Helping o he cus ome s (e.g., encou aging
o he cus ome s o show app op ia e
beha io s, helping o he s o ha e be e
se ice expe iences).
• Posi i e wo d o mou h (e.g.,
ecommenda ions, e e als).
Ve leye e al.
(2014, p. 69)
“Beha io h ough which cus ome s make
olun a y esou ce con ibu ions ha ha e a
b and o ilm ocus bu go beyond wha is
undamen al o ansac ions”
• Augmen ing ac ions (e.g., pos ing con en on
social media, in en ing, al e na ing al e na e
uses o p oduc s).
• Co-de eloping ac ions ( o example; cus ome
suppo , ideas o new o imp o ed p oduc s,
in ol emen in p oduc de elopmen and
inno a ion).
• In luencing ac i i ies (wo d o mou h,
blogging, ecommenda ions, e e als).
• Mobilizing ac ions ( o example: ec ui men ,
and/ o boyco s).
Jaakkola &
Alexande
(2014, p. 248)
54
Table 5 con inua ion
“I comp ises cus ome pu chasing beha io ,
cus ome e e al beha io , cus ome
in luence beha io and cus ome knowledge
beha io ”
• Fi m pe o mance
Kuma &
Pansa i (2015,
p. 299)
“The a i ude, beha io , he le el o
connec edness (1) among cus ome s, (2)
be ween cus ome s and employees, and (3) o
cus ome s and employees wi hin a i m”
• Cus ome pu chases (e.g., pos ing con en on
social media, in en ing al e na e uses o
p oduc s)
• Cus ome e e als.
• Cus ome in luence (e.g. wo d o mou h)
• Cus ome knowledge (e.g., eedback and
ideas o inno a ions).
Kuma &
Pansa i (2016,
p. 2)
“A cus ome ’s mo i a ionally d i en, oli ional
in es men o ocal ope an esou ces
(including cogni i e, emo ional, beha io al,
and social knowledge and skills), and ope and
esou ces (e.g. equipmen ) in o b and
in e ac ions in se ice sys ems”
• Cus ome esou ce in eg a ion.
• Cus ome knowledge sha ing (sha ing
in o ma ion o expe ience wi h o he
cus ome s).
Cus ome lea ning (e.g., cus ome
socializa ion, aining, educa ion, and pos -
pu chases lea ning).
Hollebeek e al.
(2019, p. 6)
Ha meling e al. (2017, p. 315)
The abo e discussion elabo a es he in luence o cus ome expe ience h ough dealings wi h ouch poin s on
he whole cus ome jou ney and how his a ec s he cus ome engagemen . Also, his s udy explo es he
impac o di e en aspec s o alue co-c ea ion, which can lead he cus ome o go beyond epu chasing o
engaging wi h he i m. The a ge o his s udy is o examine an eme ging ma ke like ‘Egyp ’ as o he bes
o he esea che ’s knowledge; he e ha e no been any p e ious a emp s o comp ehend his scope in he
Egyp ian ma ke , in addi ion his also can be a ui ul empi ical s udy. The ollowing sec ion illus a es he
model o he s udy. Fu he mo e, he esea ch ques ions will be desc ibed based on he p e ious discussion.
55
2.14. Theo e ical F amewo k
F om he limi ed esea che knowledge, cus ome expe ience li e a u e is inc easingly conce ned wi h he
long- e m de elopmen o cus ome expe ience jou neys ac oss a ious s ages (Bol on e al. 2014; Hombu g,
Jozic , and Kuehnl 2017; Lemon and Ve hoe 2016). Cus ome expe ience jou ney (o cus ome jou ney) is
de ined as he con inuing cus ome expe ience ac oss he s ages o consuming a se ice/p oduc (Føls ad
and K ale 2018). These s ages a e di e en ly s a ed in he li e a u e as p e-pu chase, pu chase, and pos -
pu chase si ua ions (Hombu g, Jozic , and Kuehnl 2017); "p e-co e, co e, and pos -co e se ice encoun e s"
(Voo hees e al. 2017); and sea ch, pu chase, expe ience, and e lec phases (Dellae 2019). Cus ome
jou ney ela es o ouchpoin s (B and owned ouchpoin s o social media ouchpoin s) be ween cus ome s
and i ms, s a ing om conside a ion o buying a p oduc o pos -pu chase (Ande l e al. 2016).
This s udy acknowledges he cus ome jou ney phases as p e-pu chase, pu chase, and pos -pu chase
(Hombu g e al. 2017, Ve hoe e al. 2016). The e o e, he s udy's amewo k e lec s he cus ome jou ney
ac oss hese s ages, which a e p e-pu chase, pu chase, and pos -pu chase. Much o he li e a u e indica es
ha i ms should p o ide cus ome s wi h consis en and p edic able jou neys (F ow and Payne 2007; Hyken
2009, p. 55; Kuehnl, Jozic , and Hombu g 2019). Fi ms should in es in s eamlining echniques (Edelman
and Singe 2015), such as simpli ica ion ( emo ing unnecessa y s eps), pe sonaliza ion (p edic ing cus ome
p e e ences), and con ex ualiza ion (Jus -in- ime suppo ). These s eamlining echniques in end o in ol e
cus ome s in an ongoing cycle o e igge , epu chase, and e-consump ion expe iences (Cou e al. 2009)
and hence engaging he cus ome .
Fi ms compe e o cus ome a en ion du ing e e y phase o he cus ome expe ience jou ney: (1) he ini ial
conside a ion o mul iple b ands, (2) he unc ional e alua ion o hose b ands, (3) he momen o pu chase,
and (4) he consump ion expe ience (Siebe e al. 2020). The p e-pu chase s age includes sea ch,
conside a ion, and ecogni ion. The pu chase s age in ol es cus ome dealings wi h he i m and i s
en i onmen ha esul s in an expe ience. The pos -pu chase s age encompasses beha io s such as usage
and consump ion, pos -pu chase engagemen , and se ice eques s. Fi ms y o win cus ome s du ing hese
ou phases; hence his inc eases he likelihood ha cus ome s will engage in he long un.
The s udy’s a ionale e lec s ha du ing he h ee s ages o he cus ome jou ney (p e-pu chase, pu chase,
and pos -pu chase) a cus ome may wan in en ionally o expe ience a pa icula p oduc / se ice. Howe e ,
wi h he plen i ul online enues and social media ouch poin s; cus ome s can obse e a pa icula p oduc /
se ice, which can lead o unin en ional cus ome expe ience. The cus ome expe ience is ep esen ed in
56
his/he dealings wi h ouchpoin s, whe he i is a b and-owned o social media ouchpoin s. This s udy
in es iga es he in luence o cus ome expe ience on cus ome engagemen cogni i ely, emo ionally and
beha io ally. Also, cus ome s a e becoming knowledgeable, which esul s in he cus ome being a co-c ea o
o alue in which bo h he i m and he cus ome c ea es alue oge he (Va go and Lusch 2008); leading o
co-c ea i e expe iences (P ahalad and Ramsawy 2004). Cus ome s may also go beyond epu chasing o
engaging wi h he i m, i.e., co-p oduc ion, e e als o iends and amily, and alking abou i on social media.
The s udy’s a ionale is o explo e how he cus ome jou ney is shaped s a ing om he expe ience wi h he
ouchpoin s, he in ol emen in alue co-c ea ion and ul ima ely in luencing he cus ome engagemen . The
p esen esea ch amewo k examines he cus ome ’s pe spec i e on how he ouch poin s in luence he
whole cus ome expe ience h oughou he pu chase s ages; om p e-pu chase o pu chase o pos -
pu chase. Also, how he na u e o he cus ome expe ience impac s he cus ome engagemen beha io . The
s udy in es iga es he signi icance o in ol ing he cus ome in he alue co-c ea ion, which acco dingly
enhances he cus ome engagemen on he cogni i e, emo ional and beha io al le el. The p eceding
discussion is illus a ed in he s udy’s amewo k (Figu e 2), in which he cus ome is being con inuously
in ol ed in an ongoing loop ha is expe ienced h ough he cus ome jou ney.
Figu e 2 - Theo e ical F amewo k o he s udy
57
2.15. Summa y
This chap e demons a ed he h ee main cons uc s o he s udy. The cus ome expe ience and how i
shapes he cus ome jou ney a e discussed. Then, how he ouchpoin s and hei di e en ypes shape he
whole cus ome jou ney. The second cons uc , alue co-c ea ion and how he cus ome ela es i o cus ome
expe ience, was p esen ed. E en ually, he chap e cla i ied he inal cons uc : cus ome engagemen and
i s dimensions. Finally, he chap e ends wi h he s udy's heo e ical amewo k and illus a es how he
cus ome goes in an ongoing loop o cus ome expe ience, alue co-c ea ion, and cus ome engagemen .
58
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
65
ollowed by he de elopmen o he in e iew guide used o collec he da a.
3.6.2. Da a Collec ion Me hod and In e iew Guide De elopmen
This esea ch adop s an in e iew s a egy as a me hod o collec p ima y da a. In e iews ha e he ad an age
o lexibili y in e ms o adap ing, adop ing and changing he ques ions as he esea che s a s he in e iews.
In e iews ha e he ad an age also o new ac o s being iden i ied esul ing in a deepe unde s anding o he
esea ch unde s udy (Seka an 2003). This s udy p o ides a deepe unde s anding o he cus ome
expe ience h oughou he jou ney om he Egyp ian cus ome pe spec i e by ha ing a mo e in-dep h look
in o he consump ion expe ience p ocess h ough In e iews.
In e iews and open-ended ques ions a e me hods o lea ning wi h an open mind (Edmondson e al. 2007).
An in e iew is a pu pose ul discussion be ween wo o mo e people (Kahn and Cannell 1957). In e iews
aid in collec ing alid and eliable da a ele an o he esea ch ques ions and objec i es (Saunde s e al.,
2009). Semi-S uc u ed in e iews in ol e a lis o hemes and ques ions o be co e ed (Saunde s e al.,
2009). A semi-s uc u ed in e iew was done based on an in e iew guide.
The in e iew guide con ained open-ended ques ions comp ising a checklis o hemes co e ed ha eme ged
om he li e a u e e iew. Da a collec ion in ol es "Semi-S uc u ed In e iews" ha cap u e cus ome s'
beha io in he ashion indus y. This s udy is explo a o y; he a ionale o using semi-s uc u ed in e iews
is ha hey help ind ou wha is happening and seek new insigh s (Robson 2002). Quali a i e da a o he
semi-s uc u ed in e iews a e used o unde s and he "how," and explo ing he "why" (Saunde s e al.,
2009).
To conduc he quali a i e empi ical s udy, an in e iew guide was de eloped o collec he da a. Semi-
s uc u ed In e iews aims o unco e he unde lying mo i es and desi es which a e usually used in
mo i a ional esea ch (Ko ha i, C. R., 2004). Semi-s uc u ed in e iews a e in e iews based on a plan o
in e iew guide, which aim o co e key opics and ques ions, bu which a e allowed o de elop as na u ally
as possible and no necessa ily in he planned o de (Heigham e al. 2009). This ype o in e iews is
conduc ed o in es iga e needs, desi es and eelings o esponden s; i aims o dig mo e in he subconscious
o he pe son dynamics and mo i a ions (Ko ha i, C. R., 2004). The esea che conduc ed ace o ace
in e iews and Telephone in e iews which we e all eco ded.
The esea che made a lo o e o o a oid any p oblems ha a e associa ed wi h he misunde s anding o
he ques ions. The mos impo an was o design ques ions in a way ha in e p e s he needs, desi es and
66
emo ions o he esponden s. The e o e, he ques ions we e asked in an easy, unde s andable, unbiased
language ha he esponden s unde s and. To educe he possibili y o misunde s anding he ques ions, he
ques ions we e asked se e al imes o in a di e en way o assu e ha he esponden s unde s and.
The i s sec ion begins wi h demog aphic ques ions abou he in e iewees. The second sec ion was only
one ques ion o de e mine he a o i e s o e o he in e iewee o build a whole cus ome expe ience. The
hi d, ou h and i h sec ions include ques ions e lec ing he esea ch’s main cons uc s he cus ome
expe ience, alue co-c ea ion and cus ome engagemen . The hi d sec ion in ol ed ques ions abou he p e-
pu chase s age. The ou h sec ion e lec ed ques ions abou he pu chase s age. The i h sec ion
in es iga es he pos -pu chase s age. The six h and inal sec ion includes ques ions ega ding one speci ic
cus ome expe ience ha includes he h ee s ages p e-pu chase, pu chase and pos -pu chase. The
upcoming sec ions include u he de ail abou hese ques ions.
The esea ch akes place in Egyp , he esea che in es iga es Egyp ian consume s and hei expe ience in
he ashion Indus y. The da a was ga he ed a ge ing consume s expe iencing i e high s ee ashion s o es
which a e Za a, H&M, S adi a ius, Pull and Bea , and Mango, sec ion 3.6.2.2 explains he a ionale o
selec ing hese s o es. The Appendix includes he In e iew guide. All he in e iewees we e in e iewed in
English. The esea che es ed he guide in wo in e iews be o e doing he main da a collec ion o make
su e ha he ques ions we e well unde s ood by he in e iewees and cap u ed he esea ch scope.
The esea che used also obse a ion in he da a collec ion. Pa icipan obse a ion implies ha he
esea che o sha e peoples’ li es while a emp ing o lea n hei symbolic wo ld (Saunde s e al., 2009). The
a ionale o using he obse a ion me hod is o disco e hose delica e nuances o meaning. Mo eo e , i is
good a explaining wha is happening in pa icula social si ua ions. Obse a ion allows he esea che o
expe ience he emo ions o hose who a e esea ched.
Demog aphic Ques ions
Demog aphic ques ions we e designed o ga he in o ma ion abou In e iewees’ cha ac e is ics. The sec ion
includes ques ions abou he In e iewees’ gende , ma i al s a us, age, educa ional le el, occupa ion,
esidence a ea and a e age mon hly income.
The esea che assu ed he in e iewees' anonymi y and con iden iali y. In e iewees answe ed he
demog aphic ques ions, bu he esea che men ioned ea lie ha he names o he in e iewees a e
anonymous. The pu pose was ha he in e iewees did no eel ha he esea che in aded hei p i acy.
67
Fa o i e S o e
In Egyp , he high s ee ashion s o es a e Za a, H&M, Mango, Be shka, S adi a ius, Massimo-Du i, and
Pull and Bea . S o es like Fo e e 21, Nex , Ri e Island, and Top-shop a e no p esen in he Egyp ian
ma ke . This sec ion only in ol ed one ques ion. The in e iewees we e asked o say wha is he a o i e
s o e ha hey p e e o shop om he ollowing high s ee ashion s o es (Za a, H&M, S adi a ius, Pull and
Bea , Mango). Only i e s o es we e selec ed o a oid he con usion o he in e iewees as well as he esul s
o analysis.
The in e iew guide was es ed be o e s a ing he da a collec ion p ocess wi h wo in e iewees. Du ing his
s age, in o man s we e asked o men ion hei a o i e s o e in he high s ee ashion, and he in e iewe
did no speci y any s o es. The in e iewees spon aneously answe ed wi h hei a o i e s o e. Za a, H&M,
Mango, Be shka, and S adi a ius we e he mos e e ed s o es. Hence, hese i e s o es we e chosen.
Mo eo e , he in e iewe excluded Massimo-Du i because he in e iewees decla ed i o be highly p iced,
and no one men ioned Pull and Bea .
Cus ome Jou ney
The in e iew was di ided in o h ee pa s which e lec he cus ome jou ney. As men ioned ea lie in he
chap e o he li e a u e e iew. Cus ome jou ney is concep ualized in h ee o e all s ages: p e-pu chase,
pu chase, and pos -pu chase (Ve hoe e al. 2016). E e y s age e lec ed ques ions ega ding he expe ience
e lec ed in he cus ome s’ dealings wi h he ouchpoin s. This esea ch e lec ed he ouchpoin s whe he
“In-s o e” and “Online” as well as social media. The In-s o e e lec ed he b and-owned ouchpoin s and he
social media e lec ed he Social/ex e nal ouchpoin s. E e y s age in ol ed ques ions abou alue co-c ea ion
be ween he i m and he cus ome . Mo eo e , e e y s age in ol es ques ions ega ding he cus ome
engagemen . The las pa he in e iewees we e asked o desc ibe hei las cus ome expe ience wi h hei
a o i e s o e o gi e he esea che deepe insigh s in o he cus ome s’ eelings om he cus ome
pe spec i e.
68
•
P e-pu chase S age
P e-pu chase s age in ol es he cus ome expe ience om he beginning o he need ecogni ion o goals
being sa is ied wi h a pu chase (e.g., Hoye 1984). The ollowing able (Table 6) shows he ques ions o p e-
pu chase s age and he objec i e o e e y ques ion.
Table 6 - P e-pu chase S age
P e-pu chase S age
Ques ion
Ques ion Objec i e
1. When you decide o pu chase om X, how do
you usually s a he whole p ocess o
pu chasing?
• How do you usually pu chase (online, s o e)?
• Why?
To unde s and how he ouchpoin s
(B and-owned and social/ex e nal
ouchpoin s) shape he cus ome
expe ience.
To comp ehend he complexi y o he
cus ome jou ney.
2. Be o e you pu chase om X, wha can
in luence you buying decisions?
• Wha abou you iends/ amily? Do you ask abou
hei opinions?
• A e he e any in luence s you check on social
media be o e pu chasing?
To unde s and how he social/ex e nal
ouchpoin s in luence he cus ome
expe ience.
3. Do you always plan o you pu chases om
X? How?
• Do you usually spend some ime be o e
pu chasing om X o you can do spon aneous
pu chases?
To know i he cus ome has a planned
Cus ome Expe ience.
Cus ome may engage on social
media/check websi es and hen ha e
an unin en ional cus ome expe ience.
Unde s and he cogni i e aspec o he
cus ome engagemen .
4. How do you engage wi h X be o e pu chase?
• Do you communica e wi h hem in anyway
be o e pu chasing? Check hei websi e,
Applica ion, social media page.
Unde s anding he alue co-c ea ion
and whe he he e is a dialogue
be ween he cus ome and he i m.
69
•
Pu chase s age
Pu chase s age in ol es he dealings o cus ome wi h he i m and i s en i onmen du ing he pu chase
s age i sel (Ve hoe e al., 2016) The ollowing able (Table 7) shows he ques ions o pu chase s age and
he objec i e o e e y ques ion.
Table 7 - Pu chase S age
Pu chase S age
Ques ion
Ques ion objec i e
5. Du ing he pu chase momen , how do you
usually pu chase (online, s o e)
• Why?
• The momen you a e buying, do you usually ask
o he s o hei opinion? (F iends and amily o
example)
To unde s and he cus ome ’s whole
pu chasing jou ney; he pe spec i e o
he cus ome expe ience (cogni i e,
emo ional, beha io al, senso ial and
social esponses).
To unde s and how he social/ex e nal
ouchpoin s shape he cus ome
expe ience.
6. In e ms o dialogue ha happens be ween
you and X du ing pu chase? How does his
happen?
• Whe he online o in s o e?
• How does his add alue o you expe ience?
Unde s anding he alue co-c ea ion;
he ype o dialogue ha happens
be ween he cus ome and he i m
du ing he pu chase phase.
7. How does X le you pa icipa e in p o iding
eedback, sugges ions ega ding you
pu chasing expe ience?
• How would you exp ess you new ideas,
sugges ions, and de elopmen o a ce ain
p oduc ?
Unde s anding he alue co-c ea ion;
he aspec o access ha happens
be ween he cus ome and he i m
du ing he pu chase phase.
8. How X sha es in o ma ion and ea you as
an equal pa ne ?
• Fo example, P icing, sale, Re und policy,
deli e y de ails, p oduc cha ac e is ics and
new in o ma ion abou a new p oduc .
• How do his shape you whole expe ience?
Unde s anding he alue co-c ea ion;
he aspec o anspa ency ha
happens be ween he cus ome and
he i m du ing he pu chase phase.
Unde s anding how he co-c ea ion
be ween he cus ome and he i m
shape he cus ome expe ience.
70
•
Pos -pu chase S age
The hi d s age in ol es he dealings o cus ome s wi h he i m and i s en i onmen a e he pu chase. I
encompasses beha io s such as usage and consump ion, pos pu chase engagemen and se ice eques s
(Ve hoe e al., 2016). The ollowing able (Table 8) shows he ques ions o pos -pu chase s age and he
objec i e o e e y ques ion.
Table 8 - Pos -pu chase S age
Pos -pu chase S age
Ques ion
Ques ion objec i e
9. Tell me a good expe ience wi h X? How
would i be?
• Tell me a disappoin ing expe ience?
Wha happened? How did you eel?
To g asp he whole cus ome jou ney
/expe ience.
And unde s and he beha iou al and
emo ional aspec o he cus ome
engagemen .
10. Wha makes you epu chase om X?
• Wha makes you ecommend i o you
iends/ amily/o he s?
To unde s and he pe spec i e o he
cus ome expe ience (cogni i e, emo ional,
beha io al, senso ial and social esponses).
Unde s and he emo ional aspec o he
cus ome engagemen .
11. Wha ype o communica ion happens
be ween you and X a e a pu chase?
• Do you s ill check hei websi e, mobile
applica ion, social media pages a e
you pu chases?
Unde s anding he alue co-c ea ion; he
aspec o dialogue ha happens be ween he
cus ome and he i m.
12. I you we e in cha ge o X, wha would
you change?
• Change in e ms o ma e ial o p oduc s,
e und policy, paymen me hod. E c.
• How would you do ha ?
• How do you hink X cus omizes hei
p oduc s o you needs?
Unde s anding he alue co-c ea ion; he
aspec o access ha happens be ween he
cus ome and he i m.
13. How would you exp ess you new
ideas/sugges ions and de elopmen o
a ce ain p oduc o X?
Unde s anding he alue co-c ea ion; he
aspec o anspa ency and access ha
happens be ween he cus ome and he i m.
71
Pos -pu chase S age
Ques ion
Ques ion objec i e
14. Did you ha e a p e ious p oblem wi h
X? How did you and X oge he sol e
his?
• How do X in ol ed you in p o iding
solu ions?
Unde s anding he alue co-c ea ion; he
aspec o anspa ency and access ha
happens be ween he cus ome and he i m.
15. Tell me he isks ha you ace in you
pu chases om X such as ma e ial o
he p oduc s, e und policy, paymen
me hods, sale. E c.
Unde s anding he alue co-c ea ion; he
aspec o isk ha happens be ween he
cus ome and he i m.
16. How do you engage wi h X a e a
pu chase? And why?
• How impo an is ha o you?
• Would you conside w i ing a e iew/
ecommending you expe ience o
o he s?
To ully comp ehend he h ee dimensions o
cus ome engagemen (Cogni i e, emo ional
and beha iou al).
• La es cus ome expe ience
Ano he sec ion o he in e iew guide epo ed o he la es cus ome expe ience in o de o ocus on a
pa icula expe ience. The ollowing ( able 9) shows he ques ions o one las cus ome expe ience and i s’
h ee s ages and he objec i e o e e y ques ion.
Table 9 - La es cus ome expe ience wi h he a o i e s o e
17. Wha is he las i em ha you ecen ly pu chased om
X?
P e-pu chase
• How did you s a hinking abou i ? Did you check he
websi e, Ins ag am...?
• Did you ask abou o he s’ opinions such as iends and
amily?
Pu chase
• How did you pu chase (Online, S o e)?
• Was anyone wi h you while you we e buying?
• To g asp he whole cus ome
jou ney /expe ience.
72
3.7. Da a Collec ion and Analysis
The esponden s we e in oduced o he pu pose o he in e iew, hey we e gi en a consen o m and he
in e iewe s a ed oice eco ding a e he app o al o he in e iewees. The sample o he in e iewees was
pu pose ul, looking o esponden s ha consume om he high s ee ashion s o es in Egyp o make su e
ha hey p o ide he esea che wi h he mos use ul in o ma ion (Gummesson, 2005).
Twen y- i e in e iewees we e in e iewed om No embe 2020 o Ma ch 2021. Ten in e iews we e
conduc ed ace o ace and i een in e iews we e conduc ed o e he phone ca ied ou in English and wi h
an a e age du a ion o app oxima ely hi y o hi y- i e minu es. The wen y- i e in e iews we e digi ally
eco ded and hen ully ansc ibed. All he in e iewees we e in o med abou he con iden iali y, anonymi y
o hei iden i y.
A e a ce ain poin , in e iews eached seman ic sa u a ion in he da a collec ion p ocess whe e no o li le
new in o ma ion was added (Gummesson, 2005). The in e iewees we e deli e ing no new hemes ega ding
he s udy, and ha eme ged be ween he wen y and wen y- wo in e iews, in a o al o wen y- i e in e iews.
The in e iews we e audio- eco ded and hen ully ansc ibed, which means ha i hen was ep oduced as
a w i en documen o each in e iew using he ac ual wo ds o he in e iewees (Saunde s e al. 2009).
The esea che used an applica ion on he mobile called oice eco de in he en ace- o- ace in e iews. The
o he i een in e iews we e done h ough he phone and he esea che used he same applica ion. The
esea che was conce ned no only abou wha he in e iewees said bu also how hey said i . The esea che
used da a cleaning, which means ha he esea che made su e ha he ansc ip ion is p ecise by co ec ing
any ansc ip ion e o s (Saunde s e al., 2009). Each in e iew ansc ibed was sa ed as a sepa a e wo d-
p ocessed ile wi h he name o he in e iewee. Then i was coded by he esea che wi h a numbe ha
p o ides con iden iali y and p ese es anonymi y bu can be easily ecognized and codi ies impo an
in o ma ion (Saunde s e al. 2009).
Da a is analyzed using hema ic analysis ac oss he cases o in e p e he meaning o he cases (C eswell
2007). The analysis o he in e iews included a hema ic app oach ha helps heo ize ac oss a numbe o
cases. The esea che ocused on c ucial issues (o analysis o hemes) o iden i y issues wi hin each case
and hen look o common hemes ha anscend he cases (Yin, 2003). This analysis allowed s essing only
he main hemes, o e ing a educed da a o ma o examine and in e p e . Themes we e s uc u ed a ound
pa e ns o in o ma ion ha o ganize and desc ibe he da a o de i e he s udy’s in e p e a ion (Boya zis,
1998). Keywo ds and e ba im quo a ions om in e iewees suppo ed hema ic ca ego ies and he
73
emaining da a collec ed. In pa icula , he in e iew guide was g ouped in o he ollowing hemes:
Touchpoin s and cus ome expe ience, alue co-c ea ion and cus ome expe ience, cus ome expe ience and
cus ome engagemen , alue co-c ea ion, and cus ome engagemen .
The da a was analyzed using NVi o. NVi o aids he esea che in analyzing and shaping he quali a i e da a
(C eswell, 2007). I s s eamlined aspec makes i easy o use. NVi o o e s secu i y by s o ing he da abase
and iles oge he in one ile. I allows he esea che o employ he da a and conduc sea ches. Addi ionally,
i can display he codes and ca ego ies g aphically (C eswell, 2007). The nex sec ion explains he da a
analysis p o ocol.
3.8. Quali a i e Da a Analysis P o ocol
Quali a i e da a a e non-nume ic da a o da a ha ha e no been quan i ied (Saunde s e al., 2009). I can
a y om a sho lis o esponses o open-ended ques ions in an online ques ionnai e o mo e complex da a
such as ansc ip s o in e iews. Fo his da a o be help ul, i needs o be analyzed and he meanings
comp ehended (Saunde s e al., 2009). The da a analysis p ocess in ol ed ou s ages; he i s s age, he
in e iews we e audio- eco ded and hen ansc ibed, which means p oduced as a w i en wo d documen
using he ac ual wo ds o he pa icipan s. In he second s age, a e ansc ibing he da a, he esea che
applied he “Da a Cleaning P ocess,” which means ensu ing ha he ansc ip ion is co ec by co ec ing
any ansc ip ion e o s (Saunde s e al., 2009).
Coding was he hi d s age in he p ocess o da a analysis. The esea che pe o med da a coding o make
sense o he da a by sys ema ically looking h ough i , clus e ing o g ouping oge he simila ideas,
phenomena, people, e en s, and labeling hem. In o he wo ds, coding means labeling o gi ing names o
passages wi hin he ex ha exp ess a pa icula idea o e e o an e en . The da a coding p ocess assis s
he esea che in inding simila pa e ns, hemes, and connec ions ac oss he da a (Heigham e al., 2009).
The esea che c ea ed a coding sys em du ing he da a analysis. I in ol ed a lis o he hemes c ea ed
when he esea che is coding which was de i ed om he li e a u e. As he s udy p og essed and he
esea che had in e iews, he esea che s a ed adding new codes om hose in e iews o he o iginal lis .
Finally, he esea che comple ed compa ing and con as pieces o da a. As a pa o his p ocess, new
codes appea ed, and exis ing codes e en ually became ca ego ies (Themes).
The ou h s ep; an induc i e da a analysis was applied o his s udy; he in e ac i e na u e o da a collec ion
and analysis p o ides he esea che wi h he oppo uni y o iden i y signi ican hemes, pa e ns, and
74
ela ionships in he da a collec ion p ocess (Saunde s e al., 2009). The analysis o he in e iews included
a hema ic app oach ha helps heo ize ac oss a numbe o cases. The esea che ocused on c ucial issues
(o analysis o hemes) o iden i y issues wi hin each case and hen look o common hemes ha anscend
he cases (Yin, 2003). In o de o es ablish he dependabili y and us wo hiness o analysis, quo a ions
de i ed om in e iew ansc ip s we e used o suppo he p ede ined and eme gen hemes o he cu en
s udy. The p e ious has enabled an objec i e explo a ion o he cus ome 's pe spec i e o how he cus ome
dealings wi h he ouchpoin s and he alue co-c ea ion shape he cus ome expe ience and hence cus ome
engagemen . The da a analysis p o ocol is p esen ed in he (Figu e 3).
Figu e 3 - Da a Analysis P o ocol
Sou ce: Au ho
The i s s ep in he induc i e hema ic analysis has included e eading he ansc ip s se e al imes o
disco e he o e all heo e ical dimensions o e which in e iew ques ions we e asked. To his end, all
in e iew ansc ip s we e uploaded in o NVi o 12 so wa e o coding. The second s ep has selec i ely
iden i ied all he da a ela ed o he p e ious hemes. Then, he placemen o ele an da a wi hin he
co esponding hema ic pa e n was done using NVi o 12 so wa e wi h he coding unc ion. The nex s age
equi ed he de elopmen o ela ed pa e ns in o addi ional sub- hemes. Finally, he hemes ha ha e
appea ed om he in e iews we e combined o o m a comp ehensi e iew o he whole cus ome jou ney;
om p e-pu chase o pu chase o pos -pu chase s age. The a icula ion o hemes was achie ed by e e ing
back o he li e a u e concep ualizing hose hemes, and s eng hening he esea che ’s in e ences based on
he ansc ibed da a.
3.9. Validi y and Reliabili y
Da a collec ion in ol ed in e iews, ield no es and obse a ion o he cus ome s whe he in s o es o h ough
he social media. Examining he ouch poin s ha shapes he cus ome by obse ing his/he social
en i onmen and examining how cus ome s in e ac and a ec one ano he . Da a collec ion u he in ol ed
81
4.4. Cus ome Expe ience (CX) and Touchpoin s in he P e-pu chase s age
The i s heme analyzed in his s udy is o unde s and how he b and-owned ouchpoin s and he
social/ex e nal ouchpoin s shape he Egyp ian cus ome expe ience in he p epu chase s age h oughou
he cus ome jou ney. This sec ion is composed o wo pa s; i s , he cus ome expe ience and he b and-
owned ouchpoin s in he p epu chase s age, and he second sec ion is he cus ome expe ience and he
social/ex e nal ouchpoin s in he p epu chase s age.
4.4.1. Cus ome Expe ience and B and-owned Touchpoin s in he P e-pu chase S age
A he ou se o he in e iew, i was necessa y o unde s and he in e iewees' pe cep ion o b and-owned
ouchpoin s and how hey shape he Egyp ian cus ome 's expe ience in he p epu chase s age. To p o ide
he cus ome wi h a supe io cus ome expe ience, o ganiza ions need o unde s and he cus ome
beha io s, he emo ional side o he whole expe ience esul ing om he in e ac ions be ween he i m and
cus ome s (Holb ook and Hi schman, 1982). Rega ding he emo ional side o he expe ience, he esul s
showed ha ZARA succeeded in his in he Egyp ian ma ke in emo ionally a aching he cus ome o i s’
p oduc s as quo ed by In e iewee (3, Female, Teaching Assis an ),
"when I see a ce ain i em, I eel ha I
wan o buy i ... e en i I don’ need i ."
Mo eo e , In e iewee (4, Female, Resea che ) men ioned,
"Some imes i is no also ha I need a speci ic p oduc , bu I am in he mood o buying clo hes."
O ganiza ions need o unde s and he signi icance o ouchpoin s in shaping he cus ome expe ience. As
men ioned ea lie in he li e a u e e iew, i ms managing he ouchpoin s will p o ide a supe io cus ome
expe ience, inc easing he chances ha hei cus ome s will epu chase hei p oduc s and he oppo uni y
o e e hem o o he s (G ewal e al., 2009).
Since ha p epu chase s age is he i s s age in ol ing cus ome communica ion and he en i e expe ience
be o e pu chasing. The ma ke ing li e a u e de ines his s age as one ha desc ibes beha io such as need
ecogni ion and conside a ion. B and-owned ouchpoin s include b and-owned media such as websi es
(Ve hoe e al., 2016). So, in e iewees we e asked how hey usually s a pu chasing and wha in luences
hei decisions be o e pu chasing. The indings showed ha o Egyp ian cus ome s in he clo hes indus y
in he p epu chase s age; i is signi ican o check he mobile applica ion and websi e be o e pu chasing.
"I
check Za a's applica ion i s mos o he ime be o e my pu chases. And some imes when I am in he mall
I go o he s o e and make spon aneous pu chases ha a e no planned"
(In e iewee 3, Female, Teaching
Assis an ). In e iewee (4, Female, Resea che ) added,
"The i s hing ha I do is open he mobile Applica ion
82
o Za a. I look a all o he p oduc s, and when I ind pieces I like, I s a adding hem o my shopping baske …
hen e alua e he clo hes ha I added o he baske and see i he p ices a e easonable."
B and-owned ouchpoin s a e he cus ome in e ac ions du ing he expe ience designed and managed by he
i m and unde he i m's con ol. They include all b and-owned media (e.g., ad e ising, websi es, loyal y
p og ams) and any b and-con olled elemen s o he ma ke ing mix (e.g., a ibu es o he p oduc , packaging,
se ice, p ice, con enience, sales o ce) (Ve hoe e al., 2016). The e o e, b and-owned ouchpoin s in ol e
he b and-con olled elemen s such as a ibu es o he p oduc in he clo hes indus y (I.e., i ing o he
clo hes, ma e ial, collec ion, a ie y, and colo ). In e iewee (10, Female, P i a e business owne ) poin ed
ou o he a ibu es o p oduc s such as he collec ion and he a ie y and quo ed
"I guess he collec ion,
which has o be endy and going wi h he hype; I mean i goes in ln line wi h he s yle igh now in he
ma ke ."
(In e iewee 10, Female, P i a e business owne ). Fu he mo e, In e iewee (11, Female, Banke )
s a ed ha new ends and a ie y shapes he expe ience and quo ed,
"I hink ha I mainly pass by he s o e
and see wha hey ha e as new ends o new collec ion".
B and-owned ouchpoin s also encompass b and-owned media such as loyal y p og ams (p omo codes in
he ashion sec o ); his was suppo ed by In e iewee (7, Female, cus ome se ice in Voda one)
"Some imes
when I am checking he websi e, I ind ha H&M a e ha ing many p omo codes ... excellen deals so now
he online pu chase o me is easie , sa e because o he Co id-19 si ua ion and cheape so I buy e en I
was no planning o pu chase".
In e iewee 7 decla ed ha wha shapes he expe ience is he loyal y
p og ams and added ha he online shopping inc eased a e he co id-19 and appea ed much easie and
sa e . B and-con olled elemen s also include he sales o ce; he indings con i med his by In e iewee (9,
Female, eaching assis an ) which e e ed o he impo ance o he employees on he shopping expe ience
"…ha ing expe ienced and knowledgeable s a capable o helping me, which is e y impo an o me".
In
he p epu chase s age, Egyp ian cus ome s a e a ec ed mainly by Ins ag am, Facebook and websi es ha ,
mos o he ime, shapes hei expe ience. Also, he co id-19 si ua ion changed he Egyp ian cus ome 's
pe cep ion and esul ed in mo e online shopping han in-s o e, such as in e iewees se en and wen y-one.
The ollowing ( able 12) p esen s quo a ions om he esponses o he i s in e iew ques ion, as epo ed
collec i ely ou o he wen y- i e in e iews.
83
Table 12 - Cus ome expe ience and B and-owned Touchpoin s in he P e-Pu chase S age.
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin
which Cases
a e G ounded
Cus ome
Expe ience
and B and-
Owned
Touchpoin s in
he p e-
pu chase
s age
“I check Za a’s Applica ion i s mos o he ime be o e my pu chases. And some imes
when I am in he mall I go o he s o e and do spon aneous pu chases ha a e no
planned”
(In e iewee 3, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“I hink when I see on Ins ag am pages he blogge s and how hey wea and s yle he
pieces, when I see a ce ain i em, I eel ha I wan o buy i ”
(In e iewee 3, Female,
Teaching Assis an ).
“The i s hing ha I do is open he mobile Applica ion o Za a. I look a all o he
p oduc s, and when I ind pieces, I like I s a adding hem o my shopping baske . I
hen e alua e he clo hes ha I added o he baske and see i he p ices a e easonable”
(In e iewee 4, Female, Resea che ).
“I I need some hing ha I am looking o , his will ce ainly in luence my buying decision.
Some imes i is no also ha I need a speci ic p oduc , bu I am in he mood o buying
clo hes”
(In e iewee 4, Female, Resea che ).
“Be o e o I mean may be ill las yea ; when I ake a decision o pu chase, I used o go
o he mall and hen ake like a quick o e look on he whole collec ion, see all he pieces
wi h my own eyes and hen y hem ou . I can also check he online websi e o H&M
be o e I go o he s o e so ha I can ha e in my mind like an imagina ion o he pieces
ha I wan o y on. Bu now I can check online and also pu chase online a e he
Co id-19”.
“...I guess he case ha I am wo king om home so I am checking Ins ag am mo e
han I used o; you know e e y ime I ound some in luence o blogge o e ing
P omocode o H&M., so his is in luencing mo e my decisions.
(In e iewee 7, Female,
Cus ome se ice Voda one).
• All 25
In e iews.
• P e alence o
heme wi hin
cases
(100%).
“
When I see a pa icula i em, I eel ha I wan o buy i . No hing in luences my buying
decisions, bu i is a eeling I wan o buy e en i I don’ need i .”
(In e iewee 8, Female,
Quali y Assu ance Enginee ).
“
I usually p e e o check online whe he i is he mobile applica ion o he websi e.
Checking online gi es me he chance o check all he collec ion a once, i will also le
me decide i i wo h o go he s o e. Because I may like wha is new o I may no like i .
Then I go o he s o e, look o he pieces ha I ound online o may be o he pieces ha
seems nice and I didn’ ecognize i o how can I say i didn’ ca ch my a en ion when
I was looking online”
(In e iewee 10, Female, P i a e business owne ).
“I guess he collec ion, which ha e o be endy and going wi h he hype; I mean goes
in ln line wi h he s yle igh now in he ma ke .”
(In e iewee 10, Female, P i a e
business owne ).
“I hink ha I mainly pass by he s o e and see wha hey ha e as a new ends o new
collec ion. “(
In e iewee 11, Female, Banke ).
84
“I can look i s online I mean I check Za a’s mobile applica ion. They ha e been
imp o ing hei applica ion so much la ely. I lo e o see how hey s yle he pieces and
wha is he whole new collec ion which I can see i all online. Then I can go o he s o e
o see he p oduc s, y i on, check he ma e ial and imagine how he pieces will look
when I wea hem.”
(In e iewee 14, Female, Accoun execu i e).
“Mos o he ime I ge inspi ed by a ce ain look ha I see while I am checking Ins ag am
o Facebook pages. I hen open he Applica ion o Za a and s a looking o he i em o
he look ha I wan . So, I decide ha I will go o Za a and check hei collec ion o y
on his look o s yle and mos o he ime I ind wha I am looking o ”
(In e iewee 22,
Female, Pha macis ).
“Mos o he imes I ha e in my mind a ce ain look o a ce ain ou i . The nex s ep I
open he mobile Applica ion o Za a and s a b owsing whe he o his look in my mind
o o ano he pieces. I ake like a ull look on he Applica ion o see wha I like and wha
a e he p ices and sa e all he i ems on my phone. Then I go o he s o e i sel , I mean
Za a and check he s o e o y on his look o s yle” (In e iewee
23, Female, Quali y
eam leade ).
4.4.1. Cus ome Expe ience and Social/ex e nal Touchpoin s in he P e-pu chase S age
Cus ome expe ience is he cus ome 's esponse o di ec o indi ec con ac wi h an o ganiza ion (Meye
and Schwage 2007). Di ec con ac happens in he pu chase, use, and se ice, which he cus ome usually
ini ia es. While, indi ec con ac includes unplanned encoun e s wi h he o ganiza ion such as wo d-o -mou h
ecommenda ions o c i icisms, ad e ising, e iews (Meye and Schwage ,2007). The li e a u e desc ibed
cus ome expe ience whe e he e a e elemen s ha he o ganiza ion canno con ol, e.g., he in luence o
pee cus ome s, e iews, wo d o mou h (Ve hoe e al. 2009). The p io was o in e es o his s udy, so his
was he second heme analyzed in his s udy o unde s and how he indi ec con ac such as social/ex e nal
ouchpoin s shape he Egyp ian cus ome expe ience in he p epu chase s age.
Egyp ian cus ome s we e asked i hey ask iends/ amily abou hei opinions be o e pu chasing and i hey
check social media be o e pu chasing. Social/ex e nal ouchpoin s a e o he cus ome s, pee in luences,
in o ma ion sou ces such as e iew si es (e.g., T ip Ad iso ) and social media, which has gained much
in en ion la ely and is changing how people communica e (Ve hoe e al. 2016). The indings emphasized
his concep ; Egyp ian cus ome s poin ed ou ha amily, iends, and social media shape hei decisions in
he p e-pu chase s age. As men ioned ea lie in he li e a u e e iew, "Con en ional consume choices" can
be de ined as selec ing choices ha a e chosen and socially accep ed by he majo i y o o he consume s
Table 12 con inua ion
85
(Hildeb and e al., 2019). As he ollowing quo es highligh by In e iewee (21, Female, Financial depa men
head),
"I hink my wo k colleagues ha e much in luence on my las pu chases"
. Mo eo e , In e iewee (7,
Female, Cus ome se ice Voda one) who cla i ied ha she akes he husband opinion when she is b owsing
he websi e
"My iends and my husband ha e a big in luence on my buying decisions… when I am e en
b owsing he websi e o H&M be o e I buy, I show he pic u es o my husband and ask abou his opinion".
Mos o he in e iewees s a ed ha iends, amily shape he cus ome expe ience in he p epu chase s age
and ha hey ask o hei opinion when hey a e looking on he websi e o mobile applica ion.
Hildeb and e al. (2019) s a ed ha exposu e o Facebook uniquely a ec s consume s; which was decla ed
by In e iewee (15, Female, Pha macis )
"…. G oups on Facebook hey pos pho os wea ing i ems om Za a
so when I see i o see someone wea ing i on someone, I hink o buying same i ems o i no simila op ions
o he same i em".
Fu he mo e In e iewee (13, Female, Teache ),
"social media opens my mind o di e en
looks and new s yles... and ha is when I decide ha I will go o Za a and y on his new look".
The li e a u e
indica ed ha consume s’ in en ion o pu chase a p oduc as a esul o p eceding Facebook use (Naylo e
al. 2012), he indings con i m his no ion as quo ed by In e iewee (13, Female, Teache )
"…Checking he
Ins ag am and Facebook in luence my pu chases so much because I ge inspi ed by a speci ic look o ou i "
.
The ollowing able (13) p esen s quo a ions om he esponses as epo ed collec i ely ou o he wen y-
i e in e iews.
Table 13 - Cus ome expe ience and Social/ex e nal Touchpoin s in he P e-pu chase S age.
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin which Da a
We e G ounded
Cus ome
Expe ience and
Social/ex e nal
Touchpoin s in
he p e-
pu chase s age
“.. my iends and my sis e in luence mos o my pu chases… I de ini ely ask
abou hei opinion... specially my sis e she knows wha is endy and up o
da e…”
(In e iewee 1, Male, Real Es a e B oke ).
“When I see on Ins ag am he blogge s and how hey wea and s yle he pieces...
I eel ha I wan o buy i …I ask my iends be o e I pu chase and ask abou hei
opinion o make su e ha i looks good”
(In e iewee 3, Female, Teaching
Assis an ).
“I ask bo h iends and amily. Bu mos ly I always ake and go wi h he amily's
opinion; my mo he and my sis e … My sis e is he one who encou aged me o
pu chase online and I lo ed i …”
(In e iewee 4, Female, Lec u e ).
“… My iends and my husband ha e a big in luence on my buying decisions…
when I am e en b owsing he websi e o H&M I show he pic u es o my husband
and ask abou his opinion … Ins ag am in luence me now mo e han be o e
• 20 cases (cus ome
expe ience a e shaped by
iends/ amily and social
media)
• 5 Cases cus ome
expe ience a e no
shaped by iends/ amily
and social media.
86
because in luence s o blogge s a e o e ing P omocodes o H&M…”
(In e iewee
7, Female, Cus ome se ice Voda one).
“Blogge s a e he main eason o my s yle inspi a ion and how I d ess up la ely,
especially in he las yea s… They a e s yling he same piece bu in
i e o six di e en ways which makes you eel ha you a e in es ing in one piece
and i wo h he pu chase… de ini ely my sis e s and my iends a ec my
pu chases…”
(In e iewee 9, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“Social media gi es me ideas abou wha is endy ...When I see how pieces a e
s yled, I guess all o us eels ha u ge ha we wan o buy… I p e e o ask my
mo he o he opinion...”
(In e iewee 10, Female, P i a e Business).
“…Checking he Ins ag am and Facebook in luence my pu chases so much
because I ge inspi ed by a speci ic look o ou i … social media opens my mind
o di e en looks and new s yles... and ha is when I decide ha I will go o Za a
and y on his new look… And de ini ely my iends…”
(In e iewee 13, Female,
Teache ).
“I am ollowing Za a on Ins ag am, so when I see a new piece o an i em ha I
hink would look nice when I wea i , I check i on he applica ion…. g oups on
Facebook hey pos pho os wea ing i ems om Za a so when I see i o see
someone wea ing i on someone, I hink o buying same i ems o i no simila
op ions o he same i em…my sis e s also I ca e abou wha hey hink o he
pieces ha I like...”
(In e iewee 15, Female, Pha macis ).
“I hink my wo k colleagues has a lo o in luence on my las pu chases and hey
ha e been con incing me o change my s yle and y new hings… de ini ely his
is a mus o me o ask bo h my amily and my iends e en i I o de ed online...”
(In e iewee 21, Female, Financial Depa men head).
4.5. Cus ome Expe ience and Touchpoin s in he Pu chase S age
A e he p e-pu chase s age, he esea che 's wan ed o unde s and how he b and-owned ouchpoin s and
he social/ex e nal ouchpoin s shape he Egyp ian cus ome expe ience in he pu chase s age ha is when
he cus ome decides o pu chase; o e lec he whole cus ome jou ney.
4.5.1. Cus ome Expe ience and B and-owned Touchpoin s in he Pu chase S age
The s udy aims o unde s and he Egyp ian cus ome beha io a he pu chase s age. In e iewees we e
asked, "Du ing he pu chase momen , how do you usually pu chase (online o in-s o e) and why. Egyp ian
cus ome s s a ed ha b and-owned ouchpoin s such as he s o e and he mobile applica ion signi ican ly
Table 13 con inua ion
87
shape hei expe ience in he pu chase s age. B and-owned ouchpoin s include any b and-con olled
elemen s o he ma ke ing mix (e.g., p oduc a ibu es, packaging, se ice, p ice, con enience, sales o ce)
(Ve hoe e al., 2016). The indings suppo his idea whe e he cus ome s’ expe ience in he pu chase s age
is shaped by he a ibu es o p oduc , se ice, p ice, con enience, and sales o ce. A ibu es o he p oduc s
such as i ing o he clo hes and he ma e ial a e s a ed by In e iewee (1, Male, Real es a e b oke ) "
The
s o e allows me o see he i ing o he pieces, sizes and he ma e ial o he p oduc s".
B and-owned elemen
such as con enience is men ioned by In e iewee (11, Female, Banke ) and also she added ha she can
ouch he clo hes which is a pa o he cus ome expe ience
"…i is close o whe e I li e… guess a ma e o
con enience o me. I hink I can e alua e he piece when I see i wi h my own eyes and ouch he ma e ial".
Cus ome expe ience was s a ed in he li e a u e e iew as holis ic and in ol ed he cus ome 's cogni i e,
a ec i e, emo ional, social, and physical esponses o he i m (Ve hoe e al. 2009). The emo ional and
a ec i e esponse was e lec ed by In e iewee (8, Female, quali y assu ance enginee )
"Going o he s o e...
li ing he whole expe ience. I is ime ha I dis ess om he wo ld and e e y hinking o esponsibili y".
Schmi (1999) s a ed ha cus ome expe ience is how i makes cus ome s eel, sense, hink, ac and ela e
o a speci ic i m; he inding suppo his by In e iewee (21, emale, inancial depa men head) whe e she
ela ed how he a o i e s o e makes he sense and ela e o he smell
"When I ind ha he i ing ooms a e
emp y and no so much c owded … I lo e how Za a smells nice".
Pine and Gilmo e (1998) s a ed ha a
cus ome pu chases an expe ience o spend ime enjoying a se ies o memo able e en s ha a company
s ages ... o engage him in an inhe en ly pe sonal way. The indings con i med his by In e iewee (16, Male,
Sales in eal es a e)
"The s o e allows me o li e a whole pleasan expe ience.”
As a conclusion, b and-owned ouchpoin s and speci ically he a ibu es o he p oduc s, con enience, p ice
and sales o ce shapes he Egyp ian cus ome expe ience in he pu chase s age. The ollowing ( able 14)
p esen s quo a ions om he esponses as epo ed collec i ely ou o he wen y- i e in e iews.
88
Table 14 - Cus ome expe ience and B and-owned Touchpoin s in he Pu chase S age.
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin which Da a
We e G ounded
Cus ome Expe ience
and B and-owned
Touchpoin s in he
pu chase s age
“
The s o e ... o see i ing o he pieces, sizes and he ma e ial o he
p oduc s
” (In e iewee 1, Male, Real es a e b oke )
“
I p e e in s o e... o see how I look and i i is good enough o buy i
and wi h a easonable p ice
” (In e iewee 3, Female, Teaching
assis an )
“
Nowadays o since he pandemic, … online shopping o me now is
much cheape because o he p omocodes. I don’ ha e o wai o he
i ing ooms o he queue o paymen . I jus by one click o de wha I
like... Online shopping p o ides me in o ma ion, ime and oppo uni y o
compa e p ices and p oduc s wi h g ea e p oduc selec ion… he ease
o inding desi ed p oduc s online
”. (In e iewee 7, Female, Cus ome
se ice in Voda one).
“
Going o he s o e... li ing he whole expe ience. I is he ime I des ess
om he wo ld and e e y hinking o esponsibili y. I lo e o see he
pieces and y hem on. I also wan o see he new collec ion, new de ails
o colo s
”. (In e iewee 8, Female, Quali y assu ance enginee ).
“
I p e e in s o e because i makes me able o see, ouch and eel he
p oduc s. I us he p ocess o buying om he s o e han buying a
p oduc wi hou seeing i … s o e; I can also ge he help o he s a who
answe s all my conce ns, help me, gi es me new ideas o sugges
di e en s yle and his is e y c i ical
”. (In e iewee 10, Female, P i a e
Business).
“
In s o e. Because i is close o whe e I li e… guess a ma e o
con enience o me. I hink I can e alua e he piece when I see i wi h
my own eyes and ouch he ma e ial
”. (In e iewee 11, Female, Banke ).
• All 25 In e iews.
• P e alence o heme
wi hin cases (100%).
In he momen o pu chase, I p e e in s o e o see he i ing o he
pieces and he ma e ial o he p oduc s
”. (In e iewee 15, Female,
Pha macis ).
“
The s o e gi es me he oppo uni y o li e he whole expe ience and y
on he pieces ha I like. I can see some hing online and like i bu does
no i me o doesn’ look good on me. To a oid con usion; i is way
easie o go he e by mysel and check. In s o e I ge he assis ance o
he s a
”. (In e iewee 16, Male, Sales in Real es a e)
“
I lo e when he p ocess goes quickly and smoo hly. When I ind ha
he i ing ooms a e emp y and no so much c owded … I lo e how Za a
smells nice. Also, when he s a a e help ul and ac ually keen o help
”
(In e iewee 21, Female, Pha macis ).
89
4.5.2. Cus ome Expe ience and Social/ex e nal Touchpoin s in he Pu chase S age
This s udy aims o unde s and how he social/ex e nal ouchpoin s shape he Egyp ian cus ome expe ience
in he mos c i ical s age which is he pu chase s age. In e iewees we e asked, "The momen you a e buying,
do you usually ask o he s o hei opinion? (F iends and amily, o example). The indings assu ed ha
amily and iends ha e a ele an in luence on he Egyp ian cus ome pu chasing decisions and e oke
eelings like us , con idence, and elie in he cus ome s' decisions in he pu chase s age. The p e ious
men ioned is illus a ed in he ollowing way by he in e iewees
"I do no know I eel mo e com o able when
I am wi h my iends o ask abou hei opinion"
(In e iewee 2, Male, T ade in he s ock ma ke ). Alike,
In e iewee (20, Female Banke ) added
"My sis e . I lo e he as e, and I lo e o ask he abou he opinion...
always eel mo e elie ed when she comes...".
The ollowing ( able 15) p esen s quo a ions om he esponses epo ed ou o he wen y- i e in e iews.
Table 15 - Cus ome Expe ience and Social/ex e nal Touchpoin s in he Pu chase S age.
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin which Da a
We e G ounded
Cus ome Expe ience
and Social/ex e nal
Touchpoin s in he
pu chase s age
“... he e is always someone wi h me when I buy. My iends mainly. I don’
know I eel mo e com o able when I am wi h my iends o ask abou hei
opinion”
(In e iewee 2, Male, T ade in he s ock ma ke ).
“I ask mainly my iends… some imes hey can gi e me ideas o s yling a
piece in a di e en way”
(In e iewee 3, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“I lo e o ask my mo he and sis e . This way is mo e com o able o me;
i makes me mo e con iden in wha I am buying”
(In e iewee 4, Female,
Lec u e ).
“I always ask my husband abou my choices… My husband opinion
ma e s e en when I am o de ing online. …some imes I send wha I like
o my iends o my cousin”
(In e iewee 7, Female, Cus ome Se ice
Voda one).
“De ini ely my amily and my iends; bo h. I ake a pho o and send i o
my sis e s o see wha hey hink o i i hey a e no wi h me… I also like
mo e when he e is someone wi h me while I am buying whe he iends
o amily”
(In e iewee 9, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“I ca e always abou wha my amily and iend’s opinion a e. Specially
iends because we sha e he same as e on wha is endy now...”
(In e iewee 12, Female, S uden ).
“My sis e . I lo e he as e and I lo e o ask he abou he opinion. I always
eel mo e elie ed when she come wi h me”
(In e iewee 20, Female,
Banke ).
• 21 cases (cus ome
expe ience a e shaped by
iends/ amily and social
media).
• 4 cases (cus ome
expe ience a e no shaped
by iends/ amily and
social media).
90
“Bo h my iends and amily. I ne e go alone i is c ucial o ha e someone
wi h me. I don’ know o some eason i makes me mo e con iden o my
choices, also makes me eel mo e elaxed”
(In e iewee 21, Female,
Financial Depa men head
).
“My mo he de ini ely. I always ask he abou wha she hinks o e e y hing
ha I buy. I she doesn’ like i , I e und i ”
(In e iewee 23, Female, Quali y
eam leade ).
“Some imes I eel suspicious …may be no con iden I would ask one o
my iends o my sis e abou hei opinion”
(In e iewee 25, Female,
Quali y Specialis ).
Cus ome s on he social pla o m a e essen ial in gene a ing con en , c ea ing supe io cus ome expe ience
and endu ing alue, and e e ing p oduc s, se ices, and b ands o o he cus ome s (Jaakkola & Alexande ,
2014; Hajli, 2014). The p e iously men ioned makes social media a social/ ex e nal ouchpoin essen ial in
shaping he cus ome expe ience. Mo eo e , social/ex e nal ouchpoin s a e o he cus ome s and pee
in luences (Ve hoe e al. 2016) indica ed as amily and iends in his s udy. The indings o his s udy suppo
he concep ha social/ex e nal ouchpoin s shape he Egyp ian cus ome expe ience and he p e alence o
he heme in he p epu chase s age and pu chase.
4.6. Cus ome Expe ience and Touchpoin s in he Pos -pu chase S age
A a la e s age o he in e iew, i was essen ial o comp ehend he pe cep ion o b and-owned ouchpoin s
and how i shapes he Egyp ian cus ome expe ience in he pos -pu chase s age. In e iewees we e asked
o desc ibe how would a good expe ience be o hem wi h hei a o i e s o e. The esea che no iced ha
Egyp ian cus ome s a e in luenced mainly by a ibu es o he p oduc , package se ice, p ice, con enience,
and sales o ce ac oss all s ages o he cus ome jou ney. As men ioned in he li e a u e, cus ome s look o
easy communica ion wi h he i m, consis ency o he messages h ough all communica ion channels
(Touchpoin s), o e ing a ious channels o he cus ome s o shop and sa is y cus ome s' needs and
eedback (G ewal e al., 2009). The indings suppo his no ion In e iewee (4, Female, lec u e ) pinpoin ed
he p oduc cha ac e is ics, i.e., quali y and i .
Mo eo e , In e iewee 4 men ioned ha p ice wi h good quali y is impo an , which is conside ed one o he
b and-con olled elemen s o b and-owned ouchpoin s (Ve hoe e al. 2016);
"Mos o my expe iences a e
good wi h Za a… I ind in Za a pieces wi h pe ec quali y, pe ec i , and he pe ec p ice... I eel sa is ied
Table 15 con inua ion
97
show ha Egyp ian cus ome s ha e many channels o communica e and in e ac wi h hei a o i e ashion
s o e and hei needs a e sa is ied and inqui ies answe ed be o e pu chasing, I.e., Websi e, mobile
applica ion, s o e, and social media, and hence alue is co-c ea ed. On he con a y, In e iewee (2, Male,
T ade in he Egyp ian s ock ma ke ) decla ed ha he does no in e ac wi h he i m in any way be o e
pu chasing and does no check he websi e o applica ion. The ollowing ( able 18) p esen s quo a ions om
he esponses o he in e iew ques ions, as epo ed collec i ely ou o he wen y- i e in e iews.
Table 18 - Value Co-C ea ion and Cus ome Expe ience in he P e-pu chase S age.
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin
which Da a
We e G ounded
Value Co-c ea ion and
Cus ome Expe ience
in he P e-pu chase
s age
“I communica e mainly abou he a ailabili y o he sizes i I am in s o e…. I I will buy om he
s o e, I s ill check he applica ion be o e I go o see i i is a ailable in he b anch, I am going o…”
(In e iewee 3, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“I p e e o see he mobile applica ion be o e I buy because i allows me o see all he new collec ion
wi h wha is endy as a s yle and as a colo ”
(In e iewee 4, Female, Lec u e ).
“
I communica e wi h Za a h ough hei websi e o check he collec ion and i I ha e any inqui y o
looking o some hing in speci ic, I alk o he s a whe e hey ha e his cha op ion on he mobile
and hey helped me se e al imes…” (
In e iewee 5, Female, Den is ).
“I open he websi e and he online applica ion. Some imes I am looking o some hing speci ic, I
simply ype in o he sea ch ba . B owse h ough hei selec ion and click on an i em o be edi ec ed
o he indi idual p oduc page”
(In e iewee 7, Female, Cus ome se ice Voda one).
“I always look i s h ough he mobile applica ion and he o icial page on Ins ag am be o e buying
… o see how hey s yle he pieces…”
(In e iewee 9, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“… ecen ly I ha e been checking hei applica ion be o e I pu chase because i has been ge ing
so much be e han any o he s o e and hen I go o he s o e and see he pieces and ouch i ...”
(In e iewee 11, Female, Banke ).
“The mobile applica ion... I check i some imes be o e I buy o my iends shows me wha is new
o pieces ha hey hink I will like. I can also check he Ins ag am page...”
(In e iewee 12, Female,
S uden ).
“… he applica ion is e y impo an o me be o e I buy…”
(In e iewee 14, Female, Accoun
Execu i e).
“The online Applica ion is a mus be o e I pu chase… I was b owsing he applica ion; I no iced a
bu on “Cha ” ha I didn’ see be o e… I sen a message abou ce ain pieces asking when will i
be a ailable and hey answe ed me quickly …”
(In e iewee 15, Female, Pha macis ).
“I always look a he applica ion specially be o e he sale o see i he e a e pieces ha wo h o go
o he mall o o de hem online…”
(In e iewee 17, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“I I wan some hing in speci ic, I look o i on he mobile applica ion…. Communica ion and
dialogue be o e pu chasing in he s o e would be wi h he s a i I am asking abou size o a piece
ha I saw online and he s a a e always coope a i e ...c ea i e and gi es me new ideas such as
new s yles o me …”
(In e iewee 20, Female, Banke ).
“Yes de ini ely. I always check he social media page and he mobile applica ion be o e buying”
(In e iewee 22, Female, Pha macis ).
• 23 cases
in e ac wi h
he i m
be o e
pu chasing.
• 2 cases do
no in e ac
wi h he i m
be o e
pu chasing.
98
4.8.2. Value Co-c ea ion h oughou Cus ome Expe ience in he Pu chase S age
In he middle o he in e iew, i was essen ial o unde s and how alue co-c ea ion shapes he Egyp ian
cus ome expe ience in he pu chase s age. The pu chase s age in ol es cus ome dealings wi h he i m
and i s en i onmen , and i is cha ac e ized by beha io s such as o de ing, paymen , and choice, making
his s age one o he mos impo an ones (Ve hoe e al., 2016). I was signi ican o e alua e he alue co-
c ea ion in his s age, whe e i is he s age ha he consume decides o pu chase. This heme analyzes
h ee dimensions o alue co-c ea ion in he pu chase s age. The expe ience, in e ac ion, ela ionship and
dialogue a e p esen ed in (4.8.2.1) knowledge sha ing, equi y and access a e p esen ed in (4.8.2.2) and
anspa ency and equi y a e p esen ed in (4.8.2.3).
4.8.2.1. Value Co-c ea ion (Expe ience, In e ac ion, Rela ionship and Dialogue) h oughou
Cus ome Expe ience in he Pu chase S age
Since ha pu chase s age is one o he mos impo an ones in he cus ome jou ney because i is he s age
ha he consume decides o pu chase (Ve hoe e al., 2016), i was essen ial o unde s and how alue is
co-c ea ed be ween he ashion s o es in Egyp and he Egyp ian cus ome s. Value can be c ea ed om
in e ac ion wi h he i m and i s o e ings and also h ough he consump ion p ocess (Ranjan and Read 2016),
which can be mos ly away om he i m's in e en ion (Va go and Lusch 2008). P e ious s udies e e ed o
alue co-c ea ion as alue-in-use (Ranjan and Read 2016) in which alue-in-use displays in join applica ion
o skills be ween he i m and he cus ome (Ballan yne e al., 2006) whe e his esul s in in eg a ed s ages
o ans o ma ion o example (Spa ea men ha ans o ms om se ice o sense o elaxa ion; Moelle
2008). In e iewee (8, Female, quali y assu ance enginee ) said,
"Going o he s o e... li ing he whole
expe ience. I is ime ha I dis ess om he wo ld and e e y hinking o esponsibili y"
; he cus ome in his
case is no exp essing he pu chasing p ocess o sa is ying a need bu going beyond his o a eeling o being
dis essed om any esponsibili y hence alue being co-c ea ed.
Mo eo e , In e iewee (9, Female, Teaching Assis an ) decla ed,
"Mos o my pu chases a e quick, con iden
and spon aneous...Za a speci ically makes me eel ha I am always su e and con iden o he piece I am
wea ing and o mysel ,"
which means i is he eeling such as he con idence ha he cus ome eels h ough
he expe ience. The p e iously men ioned is e e ed o in he li e a u e as "Expe ience," a ool o p oduc s
and se ices gi en by he i m (Bol on e al., 2004) and is also de i ed om consume s' linking hese
99
expe iences ac oss hei physical, cogni i e, and a ec i e dimensions, esul ing in use alue (Ed a dsson e
al. 2005). Thus, he cus ome co-c ea es alue h ough expe ience-in-use (Ranjan and Read 2016).
Mo eo e , besides he p e ious is “In e ac ion" (Ranjan e al., 2016) which is he p ima y media o be ween
pa ies engaged in co-p oduc ion be ween he i m and he cus ome . I is a chance o comp ehend, sha e
and sa is y needs (Me z e al. 2009). In e ac ion is demons a ed h ough dialog (Payne e al. 2008), making
dialogue a signi ican elemen in co-c ea ion. The esea che asked he in e iewees wha ype o in e ac ion
happens be ween hem and hei a o i e s o e du ing pu chase and how his adds alue o hei expe ience.
The indings showed ha in e ac ion is essen ial in he pu chase s age; in e iewees poin ed ou ha he
in e ac ion be ween hem and he ashion s o e is essen ial in shaping hei expe ience and helps hem in
hei pu chase decisions.
In e iewees e ealed ha he cha s wi h he employees o hei a o i e s o e a e c i ical in he pu chase
decisions. Mos o he pa icipan s s a ed ha employees in he s o e help hem ind sizes, di e en s yles,
o di e en colo s; also, s a assis s hem in ge ing pieces ha hey canno ind. The ollowing quo a ions
highligh ed he p e ious
“The s a gi e me hei opinion abou wha I am wea ing. some imes hey sugges
o he s yles o simila i ems bu di e en colo s."
(In e iewee 10, Female, P i a e Business).
"I lo e he
employees o H&M…. They a e no hu ying me ou he doo ins ead, hey a e keen o help me. The
employees help me, and we cha , whe he on he sales loo , he i ing ooms o he cashie "
(In e iewee
16, Male, Sales in Real es a e).
Addi ionally, “ ela ionship” as a alue co-c ea ion aspec be ween he cus ome and he objec in an
en i onmen o ac i e communica ion and engagemen esul s in cus ome empowe men o de elop
solu ions (Bonsu and Da mody 2008) and he eby c ea e alue. The p e ious was s a ed by, In e iewee (11,
Female, Banke ) s a ed ha
“Dialogue happens h ough he e und/exchange p ocess… whe e hey ask me
o he eason o e unding i he e is a p oblem ega ding he expe ience o make i be e and i hey can
sol e i ,"
; which means ha he i m wan s he cus ome o de elop solu ions o o e him/he a be e
expe ience, and hence he cus ome being co-c ea o o alue.
On he con a y, some cus ome s appea ed no o a o Dialogue wi h he s a in he pu chase s age.
In e iewee (18, Female, Resea ch Scien is ) exp essed i as an in e up ion o he expe ience and ha she
p e e s o look o hings alone
"I p e e o look o hings mysel and no be bumped wi h s a e e y minu e
i is he way I p e e , I guess… Za a's people a e help ul, bu I p e e o look o he hings mysel ".
Fu he mo e, In e iewee (19, Female, eache ) poin ed ou ha she only has Dialogue du ing he paymen
100
and ha she does no p e e o in e ac wi h he s a
"I hink i is mos ly du ing he paymen a he cashie ...
o be comple ely hones I do p e e no o in e ac wi h people much".
The ollowing ( able 19) p esen s
quo a ions om he esponses o he in e iew ques ions, as epo ed collec i ely ou o he wen y- i e
in e iews.
Table 19 - Value Co-C ea ion (Expe ience, In e ac ion, Rela ionship and Dialogue) and Cus ome Expe ience in he Pu chase
S age.
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin
which Da a We e
G ounded
Value Co-c ea ion
(Expe ience,
In e ac ion,
Rela ionship and
Dialogue) and
Cus ome Expe ience
in he Pu chase s age
“Dialogue happens… asking abou he sizes…O some imes he employees
ecommend pieces wi h same s yle o di e en s yles...I ask he s a abou hei
opinion o wha I am wea ing o ying”
(In e iewee 2, Male, T ade in he
Egyp ian S ock Ma ke ).
“I ask he s a o check he a ailabili y o he size because some imes, hey ge
i o me om he s ock oom. I no , I ask he s a i i is a ailable in any o he
b anch…. some imes I see a piece online bu when I go o he s o e, I canno
ind i ... so I ask he s a o help me...”
(In e iewee 3, Female, Teaching
Assis an ).
• All 25
In e iews.
• P e alence o
heme wi hin
cases (100%).
“… ake he opinion o he employees o wha I am wea ing o may be abou i s
size i i i s me… some imes abou he s yle. I also ask abou he a ailabili y o
he size…”
(In e iewee 4, Female, Lec u e ).
“Dialogue happens i I am asking abou my size o some hing I am looking o
in speci ic. I ind ha he employees a e welcoming, iendly and help ul e e y
ime he momen I en e he s o e and help me a lo in my pu chasing
decisions…”
(In e iewee 5, Female, Den is ).
“Some imes I ha e a speci ic look in my mind ha I don’ ind in he s o e bu I
ha e sa ed om he applica ion so I ask he s a o ge i o me… i hey ha e i
and i no , hey ell me a wha b anch I will ind i o o de i online”
(In e iewee
9, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“Some imes he s a gi e me hei opinion abou wha I am wea ing. Some imes
hey sugges o he s yles o simila i ems bu di e en colo s”
(In e iewee 10,
Female, P i a e Business).
“The main communica ion happens in he exchange/ e und p ocess whe e hey
ask me o he eason o e unding i he e is a p oblem ega ding he quali y o
make i be e ”
(In e iewee 11, Female, Banke ).
“…when I need a size, I ask hem. Some imes also I y a piece ha is o
example a bi igh o sho bu I lo e he pa e n so I ask he s a i hey ha e a
simila pa e n in di e en piece because hey know all he collec ion so hey
always help me…
I I need a speci ic piece o example a long whi e shi so I ask hem i I didn’
see i in he s o e and hey ge i o me i i is a ailable. Also, i I ied a piece and
101
I need a di e en size ha is no a ailable in his s o e so hey check a wha
b anch and I can ind i and ese e i o me”
(In e iewee 13, Female, Teache ).
“I lo e he employees o H&M…. They a e no hu ying me ou he doo , ins ead
hey a e keen o …by gi ing me o he op ions. The employees help me in e e y
place in he s o e whe he on he sales loo , he i ing ooms o he cashie ”
(In e iewee 16, Male, Sales in Real Es a e).
“In e ac ion happens i I am looking o size... hey ask me i I ound e e y hing
ha was looking o o i I need help... some imes I ask when he new collec ion
is supposed o come. Also, i I am e unding o exchanging….”
(In e iewee 25,
Female, Quali y Specialis ).
In e ac ion is an oppo uni y o unde s and, sha e, and se e needs, and o simul aneously assess and adap
esou ce commi men s (Me z e al. 2009). Se e al s udies ha e highligh ed ha he ac i e ole o cus ome s
in join p oduc ion is d i en by hei in e ac i e and synch onous engagemen and cons uc i e pa icipa ion
(Ranjan e al., 2016). In e iewees we e asked how hei in e ac ion wi h he i m adds alue o hei
expe ience. In e iewee (7, Female, cus ome se ice Voda one) s a ed ha she is sa is ied and alue is
added when she ge s wha she needs and when he s a helps and ha makes he epu chase
“When he
s a is help ul, hey ge me wha I need, Happy Pu chase hen Happy Cus ome ; I am sa is ied o
su e…p omo codes in he s o es when he s a ha e knowledge and upda ed wi h he la es p omo ions; his
de ini ely helps me mo e. The s a a e always upda ed wi h he la es p oduc s and s yles in he ashion
ma ke now, ha is why I lo e o come back o H&M”.
While, In e iewee (22, Female, pha macis ) epo ed
ha she has been obse ing ha she and o he cus ome s ha e been complaining abou he mobile
applica ion o Za a, and Za a de eloped hei applica ion which means he p oblem is sol ed and hence alue
is co-c ea ed and quo ed
“...Za a de eloped he applica ion so now I know wha I need o I al eady sa ed i
so I ask he s a . This makes my expe ience I guess mo e easie and mo e con enien ”.
Mo eo e ,
In e iewee (10, Female, P i a e business owne ) poin ed ou ha alue o he is in he s a when hey help
he leads o mo e aluable and wo h expe ience and, quo ed
“In my opinion, he s a o Mango ha e a good
as e in ashion and hey a e always help ul ... This o su e makes my expe ience simple , aluable and
wo hy”.
Table 19 con inua ion
102
Table 20 - Value Co-C ea ion added alue o Cus ome Expe ience in he Pu chase S age.
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin which Da a We e
G ounded
Value Co-c ea ion
and Cus ome
Expe ience in he
Pu chase s age
“Once I emembe ha I did an online pu chase, I con ac ed hem
h ough he applica ion i appea ed o me ha I can send hem a
message and hey eplied a e ha hey a e so y o he delay
because o he co id-19 si ua ion.
I see ha hey eplied quickly and hey apologized o such an
incidence and hey we e eally help ul and nice”.
In e iewee (3,
Female Teaching Assis an )
• 15 cases s a ed ha Dialogue
added alue o he Cus ome
Expe ience.
“I he s a a e help ul and nice, I mmm eel mo e com o able.
And i he opinion ha he s a gi es me makes sense o me”.
In e iewee (4, Female, Resea che ).
“When he s a a e help ul, hey ge me wha I need, he alue is
“Happy Pu chase hen Happy Cus ome ”; I am sa is ied o su e.
Some imes I ha e p omocodes in he s o es, when he s a ha e
knowledge and upda ed wi h he la es p omo ions; his de ini ely
helps me mo e. The s a a e always upda ed wi h he la es
p oduc s and s yles in he ashion ma ke now, ha ’s why I lo e
o comeback o H&M”.
In e iewee (7, Female, Cus ome Se ice
Voda one).
“Wha I ha e been eeling om Za a ha hey ha e been la ely
e y p o essional. E e y hing is being au oma ed; in Egyp i is he
only s o e ha is like his. Fo example, H&M i you wan o know
i he e is size o i I can’ ind he p ice ag and I wan o know
he p ice I ha e o look o an employee o ask abou wha I need.”.
In e iewee (8, Female, Quali y Assu ance Enginee ).
“I guess i gi es i a lo o alue because i is way easie , happie
because I ind wha I wan , sa is ying and mo e con enien . I don’
ha e o go o e e y b anch, he s a looks o i on he sys em and
hey ell me a wha b anch I will ind i and I go di ec ly. The
employees assis me in a way which sa es ime o me”.
In e iewee (9, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“.. he s a o Mango a e expe ienced and knowledgeable which
makes hem capable o answe ing my ques ions, o I mean
helping me, which is e y impo an o me… This o su e makes
my expe ience simple , aluable and wo hy”.
In e iewee (10, Female, P i a e Business Owne
).
“Yes, back in ime he applica ion was no so good ..so he only
way was ha I go o he s o e and check he collec ion. La e on,
hey de eloped he applica ion so I know wha I need o I al eady
sa ed i so I ask he s a . This makes my expe ience I guess mo e
easie and mo e con enien . I don’ ha e o go o e e y b anch
he s a ells me a wha b anch I will ind i and go di ec ly. The
s a helps me in ha way which sa es ime o me and some imes
he s a o de s i o me
”. In e iewee (22, Female, Pha macis ).
103
4.8.2.2. Value Co-c ea ion (Knowledge sha ing, Equi y and Access) and Cus ome Expe ience
in he Pu chase S age
Co-c ea ion be ween i ms and cus ome s includes ac i e pa icipa ion in new p oduc de elopmen (Chien
e al., 2010), se ice eco e y (Dong e al. 2008), and con en c ea o s o online communi ies (Dholakia e
al. 2009). An essen ial dimension o co-c ea ion is co-p oduc ion which in ol es di ec o indi ec "cowo king
wi h cus ome s" (Hu and McLoughlin 2012) o pa icipa ion in he p oduc /se ice design p ocess (Auh e
al. 2007). Co-p oduc ion includes knowledge sha ing ha inco po a es sha ing consume s' knowledge, ideas,
and c ea i i y (Zhang e al., 2008) o exp ess cu en and u u e needs. This p ocess o sha ing in o ma ion
be ween he i m and he cus ome cons uc s compe ence and co-c ea es alue (Maglio e al., 2008). The
esea che asked he in e iewees how hey sha e hei new ideas, sugges ions, and he de elopmen o new
p oduc s. In e iewee (9, Female, Teaching Assis an ) quo ed,
"The s o e asks me o a e my expe ience
h ough an iPad ... o ell my le el o happiness... also a commen sec ion o add any sugges ions I ha e,
and I ha e done i be o e … I sugges ed ha Za a needs o include mo e accesso ies and now i is a ailable
han be o e ".
The s o e p o ided pa icipan nine wi h ways o co-c ea e alue by sha ing in o ma ion and
sugges ing a new p oduc , so he need is sa is ied and alue is co-c ea ed.
Value co-c ea ion has de eloped cus ome s om "passi e audiences" o "ac i e playe s" (P ahalad e al.,
2000). Co-c ea ion bene i s cus ome s and i ms, such as imp o ing consump ion and usage expe iences
(Gen ile e al., 2007; Payne e al., 2008) and s imula ing p oduc and se ice inno a ion (Sawhney e al.,
2005; Bi ne e al., 2008). The p e iously men ioned leads o "Access" as a dimension o alue co-c ea ion;
cus ome s mus ha e he same access o in o ma ion p ecisely as he i m. Because o he openness o
communica ion now, i is much easie o he cus ome s o ge access o as much in o ma ion; as hey need
om o he cus ome s and he i m. Hence, access is signi ican o ha e a success ul dialog (P ahalad and
Ramaswamy 2004b).
O he esea che s e e ed o "Equi y," which is he willingness o he i m o sha e con ol o imp o e he
consume empowe men and his/he desi e o pa icipa e in co-c ea ion o ac i i ies (Bol on e al., 2009;
Fishe e al., 2011; Hoye e al. 2010). Equi y is demons a ed in he cus ome cen ism by he i m (P ahalad
and Ramaswamy 2002), eadiness o di ide con ol (Fishe e al., 2011). Access is s a ed in which cus ome s
mus ha e he same access and anspa ency o in o ma ion p ecisely as he i m; in o he wo ds, equal
pa ne (P ahalad and Ramaswamy; 2004). The esea che asked he in e iewees how hei p e e ed s o e
le hem p o ide eedback and sugges ions ega ding hei pu chasing expe ience. The indings indica ed
104
ha access shapes he Egyp ian expe ience in he pu chase s age. Mos o he esponden s men ioned ha
p o iding eedback and sugges ions can be done h ough he iPad placed a he cashie . The p e ious was
highligh ed in he ollowing quo a ion;
"The s o e has an iPad … ask se e al ques ions abou he eedback,
ask e e y cus ome o p o ide hei commen s o p o ide a be e se ice…"
(In e iewee 1, Male, Real Es a e
B oke ).
While o he in e iewees s a ed ha he s o e did no ask hem o p o ide eedback/ sugges ions,
"I do no
hink ha I saw his in Za a be o e"
(In e iewee 13, Female, Teache );
"They ne e asked me o my
eedback"
(In e iewee 5, Female, Den is ). Mo eo e , one o he in e iewees s a ed ha i was no essen ial
o him o p o ide eedback
"No, I am no in e es ed in gi ing eedback o sugges ions. I do no ecognize i
hey do so o no "
(In e iewee 6, Male, Ca diologis ). The ollowing ( able 21) p esen s quo a ions om he
esponses o he in e iew ques ions, as epo ed collec i ely ou o he wen y- i e in e iews.
Table 21 - Value Co-C ea ion (Knowledge sha ing, Equi y and Access Aspec ) and Cus ome Expe ience in he Pu chase S age.
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin which Da a We e
G ounded
Value Co-c ea ion
(Knowledge sha ing,
Equi y and Access)
and Cus ome
Expe ience in he
Pu chase s age
“The s o e has an iPad … ask se e al ques ions abou he
eedback, ask e e y cus ome o p o ide hei commen s o
p o ide a be e se ice…”
(In e iewee 1, Male, Real Es a e
B oke ).
“The s o e used o pu a box and a ca d i you ha e any
sugges ions o eedback; you w i e i and h ough i in he
box. La e one, hey pu an iPad asking o eedback”
(In e iewee 2, Male, T ade in he S ock Ma ke ).
“The s o e asks me o a e my expe ience h ough an iPad
ha is placed a he cashie hey pu om 1-5 abou my
sa is ac ion le el and happiness wi h he whole expe ience…
hey ask me o p o ide my e-mail and phone numbe …”
(In e iewee 3, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“I he pu chase is online and a e ecei ing he package,
he s o e sends an e-mail asking o p o ide my eedback. I
he pu chase is in he s o e, hey ask o eedback and
sugges ions h ough iPad”
(In e iewee 5, Female, Den is ).
“…on he websi e, I always see con ac us may be i I
needed o p o ide a eedback/sugges ion ha how I will
each hem...”
(In e iewee 7, Female, Cus ome Se ice
Voda one).
• 19 cases s a ed ha access is
an impo an aspec in he
pu chasing expe ience.
• 6 cases s a ed ha access is
no an impo an aspec in he
pu chasing expe ience.
105
“The s o e asks me o a e my expe ience h ough an iPad
ha is a he cashie hey pu smiley aces o ell which one
exp esses my le el o happiness. They also lea e a
commen sec ion o add any sugges ions ha I ha e and I
ha e done i be o e … I Sugges ed ha Za a needs mo e
accesso ies and la e on he collec ion had mo e endy and
a iable accesso ies”
(In e iewee 9, Female, Teaching
Assis an ).
“The s o e sugges ion/ eedback box bu I didn’ do i be o e.
And also, hey ha e sc eens o smileys ace o annoyed,
no mal and e y happy whe e you can jus ouch i quickly
be o e lea ing he s o e. And I hink his way is he easies
and mos con enien because don’ wan o spend ime
w i ing so I de ini ely go o he ouch sc een han he angible
ca d”
(In e iewee 18, Female, Resea ch Scien is ).
“The s o e has iPad a he cashie asking abou my
eedback. They ask me o p o ide also my email and my
phone numbe i he e a e o e s, sale o new collec ion”
(In e iewee 21, Female, Financial Depa men head).
“I can do his h ough he phone, e-mail and mobile
Applica ion”
(In e iewee 23, Female, Quali y eam leade )
4.8.2.3. Value Co-c ea ion (T anspa ency and Equi y) and Cus ome Expe ience in he
Pu chase S age
Ano he aspec o alue co-c ea ion is “T anspa ency.” T anspa ency be ween he cus ome and he i m is
anspa ency o in o ma ion p ecisely as he i m, i.e., p oduc cha ac e is ics, p icing, e und policy (P ahalad
and Ramaswamy; 2004). The esea che asked he in e iewees how hei p e e ed s o e sha es in o ma ion
and ea s hem as an equal pa ne ; in e iewees go asked abou p icing, e und policy, and p oduc
cha ac e is ics. Egyp ian cus ome s desc ibed anspa ency as an aspec o alue co-c ea ion ha is
undamen al in hei expe ience in he pu chase s age. T anspa ency o p icing, sale, p oduc cha ac e is ics,
and e und policy is necessa y o hei pu chasing decisions. In e iewee (10, Female, P i a e business)
who desc ibed he s o e as anspa en ega ding he sale o he e und and quo ed
“…. is e y anspa en
ega ding hei sale Janua y and July ...I ecei e a message be o e he sale... la ely due o he co id-19 I
checked he online applica ion, and hey announce he sale and ha e special p ices on ce ain pieces…
e und policy is clea and lexible”.
Mo eo e , In e iewee (15, Female, Pha macis ) who con eyed ha e e y
single in o ma ion ega ding he p oduc is clea and his gi es he eeling o being com o able
“…. pu e e y
Table 21 con inua ion
106
single in o ma ion I need on hei mobile applica ion, he p oduc cha ac e is ics, model heigh so ha I can
ha e an imagina ion o how i will look on me, size cha , composi ion and ca e o p oduc …. how o
wash/i on i …. makes me com o able ...”.
While In e iewee (4, Female, Lec u e ) s a ed ha he a o i e
s o e makes he eel elaxed because o hei e und policy ha always goes smoo hly
“… e und policy is he
mos com o able and lexible one compa ed o o he s o es …. always easy, iendly, elaxed, and smoo h
wi h hei s a … ha why I can buy online and hen can exchange o e und i la e on. I go no i ied on he
applica ion abou he sale. I also ge a message... p oduc cha ac e is ics is on he websi e and on he clo hes
i sel … I lo e hei ma e ial”.
Resea che s e e ed ha alue is co-c ea ed in "Equi y," whe e he i m is willing o sha e con ol in a o o
cus ome empowe men (Ranjan and Read 2016). Equi y is exp essed in he i m's cus ome cen ism
(P ahalad e al., 2002), willingness o sha e con ol (Fishe and Smi h 2011), and acili a i e en i onmen
(Payne e al., 2009). Equi y is e ealed by In e iewee (18, Female, Resea ch Scien is ) who s a ed ha she
eels like an equal pa ne wi h he i m and quo ed,
"…send me SMS be o e he sale …makes me eel like
an equal pa ne … a ailable o anyone in he social media accoun s, which is p e y ai and p e y
con enien ... so ha gi es me a eeling I am an equal pa ne ".
The ollowing ( able 22) p esen s quo a ions om he esponses o he in e iew ques ions, as epo ed
collec i ely ou o he wen y- i e in e iews.
Table 22 - Value Co-C ea ion (T anspa ency and Equi y) and Cus ome Expe ience in he Pu chase S age.
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin
which Da a
We e G ounded
Value Co-c ea ion
(T anspa ency and
Equi y) and Cus ome
Expe ience in he
Pu chase s age
“Za a sha es any hing ha I need as a cus ome … a message be o e he
sale… e und policy is pe ec …. And e y clea …. lexible I mean I can e und
i om any s o e o Za a…. Thei deli e y in he online is quick and may be
he package is always clean and olded in a nea way.
P oduc cha ac e is ics is well known and du able. The ma e ial o he p oduc
and i s de ails is w i en on he p oduc and online…”
(In e iewee 1, Male,
Real Es a e B oke ).
“…Pu e e y single in o ma ion ega ding he p oduc cha ac e is ics on he
icke ha you ind i in he side o he clo hes…. e und policy is e y clea
and smoo h…”
(In e iewee 2, Male, T ade in he S ock Ma ke ).
“… e und policy is he mos com o able and lexible one compa ed o o he
s o es …. i 's always easy, iendly, elaxed, and smoo h wi h hei s a … ha
why I can buy online and hen can exchange o e und i la e on. I go no i ied
• All 25
In e iews.
• P e alence o
heme wi hin
cases (100%);
anspa ency
shape he
cus ome
expe ience.
113
I saw i in o he coun ies”
(In e iewee 8, Female, Quali y
Assu ance Enginee ).
“I hink hey can a oid he long wai in he queue o he
paymen i hey made a sel -paymen . I saw his in Dubai i
de ini ely makes i easie and quicke …. I can send an email
and I can also say i o he s o e manage ”
(In e iewee 9,
Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“I would change he ma e ial o he knigh wea (Wool) e en
i I will ise he p ice a li le bi … I can alk o he manage o
he s o e and may be send an email which I did be o e”
(In e iewee 11, Female, Banke ).
“I was in Dubai, I ound ha hey added a new paymen
me hod which is he sel -paymen . I belie e i is a good
op ion. I hink his would sa e ime ins ead o s anding in
he queue o pay. I would lo e o see his me hod in Egyp …
I can do his h ough he iPad a e my pu chase
expe ience”
(In e iewee 15, Female, Pha macis ).
… he e is some hing ha can be done o he in e ace o he
applica ion ha would jus display wha is a ailable.
Because displaying some hing ha is no a ailable is eally
disappoin ing. I hink his is he only issue ha hey ha e.
Bu I don’ ace any hing ega ding he e und o he
paymen policy hey a e good. As well as he ma e ial i is
pe ec o me and o my body igu e… I can do ha h ough
email.”
(In e iewee 19, Female, Teache ).
“… I would change he online models. Some imes he ou i
looks wei d and unny. I can ge a pe son in o s yling ha
can adap s and ma ches he pieces oge he . I would make
a se ies o example on beach, e ening. I hink I would in es
mo e in his.
… ASOS pu ideo no a pho o so his gi es you imagina ion
o how will i look. I hink i his is done on Za a’s applica ion
i will de elop he online applica ion.
I hink he e und policy is easy, clea and lexible. Paymen
me hod also is e y easy. I don’ hink ha I would change
he ma e ial because his means highe p ice so i ’s
con enien ha way. Fo me Za a’s sec e ha i is endy
and a o dable... I would send an email”
(In e iewee 22,
Female, Pha macis ).
Table 22 con inua ion
114
4.8.3.3. Value Co-c ea ion (T anspa ency and Rela ionship) and Cus ome Expe ience in he
Pos -pu chase S age
Ano he impo an aspec o alue co-c ea ion in he pos -pu chase s age is "T anspa ency." Whe e
anspa ency be ween he cus ome and he i m can be desc ibed as anspa ency o in o ma ion p ecisely
as he i m (P ahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004). P e ious s udies (Ed a dsson e al. 2011; O danini e al.
2011) shed ligh on he ole o consume s in join p oduc ion due o hei in e ac i e pa icipa ion and
cons uc i e pa icipa ion, whe e in e ac ion enables exchange by aising he oppo uni y o p o ide solu ions
o p oblems (Bagozzi e al. 2012). In o de o ha e ac i e dialog and de elopmen o a sha ed solu ion, he
i m and he cus ome mus become equal and join p oblem sol e s (P ahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004).
The s udy aims o unde s and how he in e iewees exp ess hei new ideas/sugges ions and de elop a
p oduc o hei a o i e s o e. The in e iewees men ioned ha he i m p o ides hem he oppo uni y o
p o ide hei eedback o change any hing h ough many channels such as email, phone, mobile applica ions.
The indings indica ed ha all in e iewees epo ed ha anspa ency o p icing, sale, p oduc
cha ac e is ics, and e und policy is c i ical o hei pos -pu chasing decisions because hey will epu chase
i hey had a good expe ience and eel hea d. One o he in e iewees men ioned he social media accoun s
as quo ed by he In e iewee (18, Female, Resea ch Scien is )
"I would engage in such a hing is when hey
ask, o a make a poll such a kind o in e ac ion as a s o y on Ins ag am. I mean hei social media accoun s.
I can sugges any hing ha would come o my mind and I did ha be o e".
The esul s show ha Egyp ian
cus ome s exp essed hei eedback and sugges ions o he s o es and lis ened o hem; hence, alue is co-
c ea ed. Such as In e iewee (22, Female., Pha macis ) poin ed ou ha he de elopmen o he mobile
applica ion and how his made he expe ience mo e con enien and mo e accessible
"… he applica ion was
no so good, so I used o go o he s o e and check he collec ion. When he s o e asked me i I had any
sugges ions…. I men ioned ha he applica ion needs o be de eloped... now he applica ion is de eloped
imp essi ely...".
Mo eo e , In e iewee (9, Female, Teaching Assis an ) quo ed
, "I sugges ed ha Za a needs
o include mo e accesso ies and now i is a ailable han be o e. "
T anspa ency be ween i ms and cus ome s
and hence alue is co-c ea ed.
In e ac ion enables in ica e exchange by aising he oppo uni y o p o ide solu ions (Bagozzi e al., 2012).
In o de o ha e ac i e dialog and de elopmen o a sha ed solu ion, he i m and he cus ome mus become
equal and join p oblem sol e s (P ahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004). The s udy aims o unde s and
" ela ionship" as a alue co-c ea ion aspec be ween he cus ome and he objec in an en i onmen o ac i e
115
communica ion and engagemen esul s in cus ome empowe men o de elop solu ions (Bonsu and
Da mody 2008) and he eby c ea e alue. The s udy asked Egyp ian cus ome s i hey had a p e ious
p oblem wi h hei a o i e s o e and how hey sol ed his. Mos in e iewees s a ed ha hey bo h co-c ea ed
alue and he i m by sol ing he p oblem as quo ed by he In e iewee (11, Female, Banke )
"jeans o n
om he wais . I go so ang y and disappoin ed. I wen o he s o e... The employee was help ul and nice,
and he apologized and ga e me a new one. I hink ha Za a has ha cus ome sa is ac ion policy because
e e y ime hey sol e i o me…".
While some in e iewees s a ed ha hey el disappoin ed when a p oblem happened and he i m did no
sol e i , such as In e iewee (10, Female, P i a e Business)
"… picked some pieces online ha looked
in e es ing om Mango… wai ed o wo weeks and did no ecei e any hing; hei shipping p ocess was
aw ul... no one answe ed when I a emp ed o con ac hem…. I sen many emails and ecei ed he o de
a e one mon h! Tha was no he only p oblem; he sizes came all w ong. ... el annoyed and pissed o … I
wen o he s o e o e und, and he su p ise was ha hey do no e und he online pu chases because hey
do no ha e online deli e y. No hing is sol ed! I would no do he online expe ience om Mango again".
The
p e ious esul was ha he cus ome would no epea he online expe ience because he i m did no sol e
he p oblem wi h he cus ome .
Mo eo e , he In e iewee (22, Female, Pha macis ) quo ed,
"I bough black ouse s ha had assels (o
inges) om he sides. A e one ime, one d opped, and wo d opped he second ime. I el ha p oduc is
cheap I did no e en wash i . I al eady wo e i and he assels al eady dopped so I could no e und i . I wen
o Za a and old hem ha I wan ed he assels o ell me ha hey we e una ailable. They did no sol e i , In
he end a e many imes o wea ing i . I go id o he ouse s".
The ollowing ( able 25) p esen s quo a ions
om he esponses o he in e iew ques ions, as epo ed collec i ely ou o he wen y- i e in e iews.
116
Table 25 - Value Co-C ea ion (T anspa ency, Rela ionship) and Cus ome Expe ience in he Pos -pu chase S age.
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin which Da a We e
G ounded
Value Co-c ea ion
(T anspa ency,
Rela ionship) and
Cus ome Expe ience
in he Pos -pu chase
s age
“I can emembe one du ing he lockdown o he co id-19.
I made an o de online and i was delayed…. Fi s , I sen an
email bu no one eplied. Then, I sen a message on he
applica ion and o una ely hey eplied and apologized ha
his due o he lock down and ha hey will ack he o de
and I will ecei e i om 5-7 wo king days.
They sol ed i when I con ac ed hem one week la e , I
ecei ed he o de as hey old me” (In e iewee 3, Female,
Teaching Assis an ).
“I bough once a -shi and a e he second o hi d wash
as a as I emembe , he logo and colo s a ed o ade. I
con ac ed hem and I asked o e und he -shi which was
no longe a ailable. I wen o he s o e and hey we e supe
nice and old me I can pick wha e e I like ins ead o i o
e und i . I picked o he one and e e y hing wen well”
(In e iewee 6, Male, Ca diologis ).
“I bough my husband a shoe... hen i was o n om he
side. We wen a e wo mon hs om he da e I bough i
and wi h no eceip …They sol ed i s aigh away and in a
iendly, p o essional way. They e unded he o n shoes
al hough he wo e hem, and we didn' ha e a eceip ”
(In e iewee 8, Female, Quali y Assu ance Enginee ).
“…a denim ouse s. I bough i Thu sday and wo e i on
F iday … suddenly he jeans o n om he wais . I go so
ang y and disappoin ed. I wen o he s o e... The employee
was eally help ul, nice and he apologized and ga e me a
new one. I hink ha Za a ha e ha cus ome sa is ac ion
policy because e e y ime hey sol e i o me…”
(In e iewee 11, Female, Banke ).
“… pullo e I bough and wo e i only one ime. I washed i
and go shocked how i looked al hough I ollowed he
washing ins uc ions... I wen o he s o e and showed i o
hem al hough ha I didn’ keep he eceip because I
al eady wo e i .… he manage quickly came o me and
o e ed o exchange i o me and I accep ed; he was supe
nice and help ul” (in e iewee 14, Female, Accoun
Execu i e).
• 21 cases s a ed ha
anspa ency and ela ionship
shaped he cus ome
expe ience. Bo h he cus ome
wi h he i m co-c ea ed alue
h ough sol ing he p oblem.
• 4 cases s a ed ha he i m was
no anspa en and no
ela ionship was el .
117
4.8.3.4. Value Co-c ea ion (Risk Aspec ) and Cus ome Expe ience in he Pos -pu chase S age
Dialog, access, and anspa ency can lead o a be e e alua ion by he cus ome o he isk-bene i s o a
speci ic decision o ac . Fo example, he obacco company is obliged o educa e cus ome s on he isk o
smoking, bu i he cus ome insis s on smoking, he/she mus ake esponsibili y o his/he ac ions
(P ahalad and Ramaswamy 2004). The p e ious men ioned leads o he aspec o isk-bene i in he alue
co-c ea ion analyzed in his s udy; In o he wo ds, accep ing any isk ega ding he pu chase made. The
esea che asked he in e iewees abou he isks hey ace in hei pu chases om hei p e e ed s o e,
such as he ma e ial o he p oduc s, e und policy, paymen me hods, sale. E c. The indings epo ed ha
mos cus ome s accep he isk wi h hei p e e ed s o e, and mo eo e he pu chasing decisions e oke
sa is ac ion such as (In e iewee 1, Male, Real Es a e B oke ).
“I do no hink ha I ace any o hese isks
when I buy om Za a. Za a makes me sa is ied as i p o ides me wi h he equa ion o good ma e ial wi h
a o dable and inexpensi e p ice”.
Mo eo e , In e iewee (7, Female, Cus ome Se ice Voda one) poin ed
ou he online shopping isk bu decla ed ha i is a isk ha she accep s
“The isk would be in he online
shopping; ha he size does no i me when I ecei e he package. Bu I can easily e und he piece, so i
no a big isk”.
The ollowing ( able 26) p esen s quo a ions om he esponses o he in e iew ques ions,
as epo ed collec i ely ou o he wen y- i e in e iews.
Table 26 - Value Co-C ea ion (Risk Aspec ) and Cus ome Expe ience in he Pos -pu chase S age.
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin which
Da a We e
G ounded
Value Co-c ea ion
(Risk) and Cus ome
Expe ience in he
Pos -pu chase s age
“I don’ hink ha I ace any o hese isks when I buy om Za a. Za a makes
me sa is ied as i p o ides me wi h he equa ion o good ma e ial wi h a o dable
and inexpensi e p ice” (In e iewee 1, Male, Real Es a e B oke ).
“I don’ hink ha I ace any o hese isks. Because e en when I buy some hing
… I didn’ eel ha i was a good piece…. I go o he s o e la e and e und i and
hey always do his easily and smoo hly” (In e iewee 3, Female, Teaching
Assis an ).
“I hink he only isk would be he ma e ial, especially in he win e . Knigh wea
o Za a ge s dande and ge s e ched bu I buy i anyway” (In e iewee 4,
Female, Lec u e ).
“The isk would be in he online shopping; ha he size doesn’ i me when I
ecei e he package. Bu I can easily e und he piece so i no a big isk”
(in e iewee 7, Female, Cus ome Se ice Voda one).
• 24 cases o he
cus ome s
accep and sha e
he isk wi h hei
p e e ed s o e.
• 1 case aced a
isk and won’
accep i again.
118
“I is a isk ha I lo e o ake (laughs). Za a shoes o me a e uncom o able bu
I know his bu ye I buy hem. I lo e how chic hey look...” (In e iewee 9,
Female, Teaching Assis an ).
“Pe umes in Za a some imes doesn’ ha e a es e so some imes you lo e he
package o he pe ume bu you canno smell i . I ook his isk once I lo ed he
bo le and i was on sale so I decided ha I will buy i . Al hough he e is no e und
in pe umes. And lo ed i when I wen home... I don’ ace any isk in he e und
policy because i is he bes . The ma e ial o he p oduc s wo ks well o me ha
why I always buy om and epu chase om Za a” (In e iewee 12, Female,
S uden ).
“I hink he only isk ha I cu en ly ha e because o co id-19 is ha I no longe
like o y he clo hes a s o e. I jus pu chase and y hem a home o educe
he in e ac ion. I hink he only isk is ha i migh no i bu I would no call i a
isk because I ha e he chance o e und i ...” (In e iewee 19, Female, Teache ).
“…. Some imes I ake a isk i I ha e an occasion and I buy a piece wi h
accesso y such as assels o u ha I know i will no las long and i will ge
damaged quickly bu I buy i because I need i …” (In e iewee 22, Female,
Pha macis ).
I can be concluded ha alue co-c ea ion shapes he cus ome expe ience in he p epu chase, pu chase,
and pos -pu chase s ages. The alue is co-c ea ed be ween he i m and he cus ome h ough dialogue,
in e ac ion, expe ience, ela ionship, access, knowledge sha ing, anspa ency, equi y and Risk-bene i .
In e ac ion is he main aspec shapes he cus ome expe ience in he p epu chase s age, whe e mos o he
cus ome s communica e wi h he i m be o e pu chasing h ough he mobile applica ion, social media, and
in he s o e. In e ac ion and sha ed dialogue shape he cus ome expe ience in he pu chase s age and
p e alence o heme whe e dialogue wi h he i m in his s age is essen ial in which he s a sa is ies he
cus ome 's needs. A he same ime, in e ac ions in he pos -pu chase shapes he cus ome expe ience bu
less han in he p epu chase and pos -pu chase. Value is co-c ea ed h ough access, sha ing knowledge and
equi y in he pu chase s age, whe e he cus ome has he oppo uni y o p o ide eedback, a e expe ience,
and de elop p oduc s. Access in he pos -pu chase s age is co-c ea ed in which he cus ome s ha e many
channels, i.e., email, phone o p o ide hei opinion o change some hing ega ding he p oduc s, paymen
me hod, and e und policy. T anspa ency and equi y shapes he co-c ea ion and hence he cus ome
expe ience in bo h he pu chase s age and pos -pu chase s age, whe e he cus ome is an equal pa ne in
he pu chase s age and has any in o ma ion ega ding he p icing, sale, and e und policy. In he pos -
Table 26 con inua ion
119
pu chase, anspa ency is co-c ea ed h ough he cus ome and he i m being bo h p oblem sol e s, and
he indings epo ed ha mos o he cus ome s had hei p oblem sol ed. Risk-bene i shapes he cus ome
expe ience whe e in e iewees s a ed ha hey accep he isk wi h hei p e e ed s o e.
4.9. Findings om he Obse a ion o he Theme Value Co-c ea ion and Cus ome Expe ience
in he Pos -pu chase S age
The Resea che aims o unde s and alue co-c ea ion, he dialogue be ween he cus ome and he i m du ing
he pu chase phase. The dialogue aspec o co-c ea ion is essen ial in shaping he cus ome expe ience.
F om he obse a ion on online pla o ms, a cus ome s a ed ha she o de ed online en i ems om Za a
and he o de came missing a piece; she con ac ed hem h ough he phone and ecei ed he missing piece
he nex day and quo ed
"I called hem ... old hem ha he e is a whi e shi missing ... ecei ed he o de
he nex day….".
The esea che u he needed o unde s and he anspa ency aspec o alue co-c ea ion
h ough obse a ion. As men ioned p e iously, anspa ency in he clo hing indus y includes p icing, sale,
e und policy, and deli e y de ails so ha he cus ome eels like an equal pa ne . One o he cus ome s on
Facebook men ioned he lexibili y and he easiness o he policy o Za a "
you can e und i easily... i does
no mean ha a bad expe ience ha you ecommend o o he s no o o de online… Za a s a a e
unde s andable and poli e".
The aspec o isk-bene i in he alue co-c ea ion means accep ing any isk ega ding he pu chase made;
he cus ome mus ake esponsibili y o his/he ac ions (P ahalad and Ramaswamy 2004). F om he
obse a ion in a shopping mall wi h a cus ome and quo ed, "
I usually wea size XS... a piece I liked which I
saw one o he blogge s wea ing i on social media, and I liked i … ound only S because XS was ou o
s ock… lo ed i ... will ake he isk and buy i ".
Dialogue, anspa ency, and isk shapes alue co-c ea ion
and hence he cus ome expe ience. The ollowing sec ion explains he ou h heme, cus ome expe ience
and cus ome engagemen .
4.10. Cus ome Expe ience and Cus ome Engagemen
Cus ome engagemen plays an essen ial ole in co-c ea ing cus ome expe iences and alue in oday's
compe i i e ma ke s whe e engaged cus ome s ha e a signi ican in luence in i al ma ke ing ac i i y by
p o iding e e als and ecommenda ions o speci ic p oduc s, se ices o o he s (B odie e al., 2011).
Engaged cus ome s can play an essen ial ole in new p oduc /se ice de elopmen (Hoye e al. 2010;
120
Ko handa aman e al. 2001; Nambisan e al. 2008), and in co-c ea ing expe ience and alue (B akus e al.
2009; P ahalad and Ramaswamy 2004). The p e iously men ioned was o in e es o his s udy o
unde s and how he ouchpoin s and alue co-c ea ion shape he cus ome expe ience and hence shape he
cus ome engagemen .
Cus ome engagemen is a consume 's posi i ely alanced b and- ela ed cogni i e, emo ional, and beha io al
ac i i y du ing consume /b and in e ac ions (Hollebeek e al., 2019; Hollebeek e al., 2014). The cus ome 's
"cogni i e" b and- ela ed ac i i y includes he indi idual's le el o concen a ion and eng ossmen in he
b and. While, he cus ome 's "emo ional" b and- ela ed ac i i y may be iewed by he cus ome 's le el o
b and- ela ed inspi a ion and p ide (Schau eli e al., 2002). Cus ome "beha io al" b and- ela ed ac i i y is
he ene gy exe ed in in e ac ing wi h a ocal b and (Pa e son e al., 2006). This heme esul s in sub- hemes
cus ome engagemen and cus ome expe ience in he p e-pu chase s age, cus ome engagemen
(Emo ional Aspec ) and cus ome expe ience; cus ome engagemen (Cogni i e Aspec ) and cus ome
expe ience and cus ome engagemen (Beha io al Aspec ) and cus ome expe ience.
4.10.1. Cus ome Engagemen and Cus ome Expe ience in he P e-pu chase S age
Cus ome Engagemen
is a mul i-dimensional concep ha conside s consume s' in e ac i e ela ed
expe iences (B odie e al., 2013). I e e s o a cus ome 's esou ce in es men and he in e ac ions
(Hollebeek e al., 2019), which has been decla ed an essen ial alue-c ea ing o o ganiza ions (Chang e al.,
2021). So, his s udy aims o unde s and how he Egyp ian cus ome s' expe iences shape hei engagemen
in he p e-pu chase s age. Vi ek e al. (2012) indica ed ha cus ome engagemen could be exp essed
cogni i ely, a ec i ely, beha io ally, o socially. The "cogni i e and a ec i e exp ession" in ol es he
expe iences and eelings o he cus ome s. The s udy aims o unde s and i Egyp ian cus ome s spend ime
pu chasing om hei a o i e ashion s o e o pu chase spon aneously. Since he p e-pu chase s age is he
i s s age ha in ol es he cus ome communica ion and en i e expe ience be o e pu chasing (Ve hoe e
al., 2016). The esea che seeks o dig deeply h ough he Egyp ian cus ome o ind ou i he cus ome can
engage in he p epu chase s age on social media/check websi es and hen ha e an unin en ional cus ome
expe ience and comp ehend he cogni i e and emo ional aspec o cus ome engagemen in his s age o he
Egyp ian cus ome jou ney.
In e iewee (22, Female, Pha macis ) indica ed ha in he p e-pu chase; social media and websi es lead o
an expe ience, and hence, he cus ome decides o open he websi e/applica ion and engage. Cus ome 22
121
is cogni i ely engaged wi h he a o i e s o e ha she does no spend ime o hink abou pu chasing and
mos o he pu chases a e spon aneous, and quo ed
".... mos o he ime I ge inspi ed by a speci ic look
ha I see while I am checking Ins ag am o Facebook pages. I hen open he applica ion o Za a and s a
looking o he i em o he look ha I wan .... I go o he s o e, and i I like a speci ic piece, I buy i ... mos o
my pu chases om Za a a e spon aneous... I ind e e y hing ha I need in Za a."
Alike, In e iewee (18,
Female, Resea ch Scien is ) s a ed ha social media a ec s he and leads o unin en ional expe ience and
unplanned expe ience. She quo ed,
"I am ollowing Za a on Ins ag am... when I see a new piece ha I like
...I sc eensho he i em and check i on he applica ion... Facebook g oups ... i ems om Za a, so when I see
i on someone, I hink o buying he same i ems .... So, I hink social media is one o he mos ac o s ha
in luence my pu chases.... mos o my pu chases a e unplanned... I ha e been buying om Za a o so many
yea s now, so I know well wha i s me".
The p e ious cus ome indica ed ha she is engaged wi h he
a o i e s o e ha she no longe akes ime be o e pu chasing because she had been buying o yea s and
ha is why mos o he pu chases a e unplanned.
In e iewee (19, Female, Teache ) desc ibed ha she subconsciously goes o he a o i e s o e when she is
in he mall and ha mos o he pu chases a e unp epa ed and s a ed,
"Usually, when I am jus walking
h ough he mall, I pass by Za a I ind some hing, and I buy i ...usually, I do no plan a all... I like he i em,
and I buy i wi h no hinking... my pu chases a e unp epa ed".
The indings indica ed ha Males akes ime
in hei pu chases; In e iewee (6, Male, Ca diologis ) quo ed,
"Yes, I plan de ini ely ha I I need clo hes o
i I need some hing in speci ic (jeans o ins ance) I will go o he mall and I will buy"
. While emales end o
do mo e spon aneous pu chases han planned ones. In e iewee (8, Female, Quali y Assu ance Enginee )
whe e she indica ed ha she eels ha she wan s o buy and desc ibed i as a he apy
"When I see a pa icula
i em, I eel ha I wan o buy i . No hing in luences my buying decisions, bu i is a eeling I wan o buy e en
i I don' need i ... All my pu chases om Za a a e imp o ised. As I jus old you, I lo e o go o he mall i is
my "Me ime"; my he apy. I is how I ake a b eak om he s ess o wo k and he du ies o being a wi e and
a mo he . So, I do no plan a all; I buy."
In e iewee eigh has gone beyond pu chasing o being emo ionally
connec ed wi h he s o e. The ollowing ( able 27) p esen s quo a ions om he esponses o he in e iew
ques ions, as epo ed collec i ely ou o he wen y- i e in e iews.
122
Table 27 - Cus ome Engagemen and Cus ome Expe ience in he p e-pu chase s age
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
• Cases wi hin
which Da a
We e G ounded
Cus ome
Engagemen and
Cus ome Expe ience
in he P e-Pu chase
S age
“
The e a e spon aneous pu chases bu no ha much... mos o he ime
my pu chases a e planned” (In e iewee 1, Male, Real Es a e B oke ).
“Mos o he ime my pu chases om Za a a e spon aneous... I am in he
mall I go o he s o e and do spon aneous pu chases ha a e no planned...
I am a e y quick buye especially om Za a” (In e iewee 3, Female,
Teaching Assis an ).
“Yes, I plan de ini ely ha I I need clo hes o i I need some hing in speci ic
(a jeans o ins ance) I will go o he mall and I will buy” (In e iewee 6, Male,
Ca diologis ).
“When I see a pa icula i em, I eel ha I wan o buy i . No hing in luences
my buying decisions, bu i is a eeling I wan o buy e en i I don’ need i ...
All my pu chases om Za a a e spon aneous. As I jus old you, I lo e o go
o he mall i is my "Me ime"; my he apy. I is how I ake a b eak om he
s ess o wo k and he du ies o being a wi e and a mo he . So, I don' plan
a all; I buy” (In e iewee 8, Female, Quali y Assu ance Enginee ).
"I am ollowing Za a on Ins ag am... when I see a new piece ha I like ...I
sc eensho he i em and check i on he applica ion... Facebook g oups ...
i ems om Za a, so when I see i on someone, I hink o buying he same
i ems .... So, I hink social media is one o he mos ac o s ha in luence
my pu chases.... mos o my pu chases a e unplanned... I ha e been buying
om Za a o so many yea s now, so I know well wha i s me”. (In e iewee
18, Female, Resea ch Scien is ).
• 22 cases
s a ed ha
cus ome can
engage and
lead o
unin en ional
cus ome
expe ience.
"Usually, when I am jus walking h ough he mall, I pass by Za a I ind
some hing, and I buy i ...usually, I do no plan a all... I like he i em, and I
buy i wi h no hinking...my pu chases a e unp epa ed"(In e iewee 19,
Female, Teache ).
".... mos o he ime I ge inspi ed by a speci ic look ha I see while I am
checking Ins ag am o Facebook pages. I hen open he Applica ion o Za a
and s a looking o he i em o he look ha I wan .... I go o he s o e, and
i I like a speci ic piece, I buy i ... mos o my pu chases om Za a a e
spon aneous... I ind e e y hing ha I need in Za a." (In e iewee 22,
Female. Pha macis ).
4.10.2. Cus ome Engagemen and Cus ome Expe ience in he Pos -Pu chase S age
Pos -pu chase s age in ol es he dealings o cus ome s wi h he i m and i s en i onmen a e he pu chase.
Resea ch on his s age has ocused on he consump ion expe ience (e.g., Holb ook and Hi schman 1982),
epu chase (e.g., Bol on 1998), o seek a ie y (e.g., McAlis e and Pessemie 1982), as well as o he non-
pu chase beha io s such as wo d o mou h and o he o ms o cus ome engagemen (e.g., Van Doo n e al.
129
“The clo hes i ue o size. Re u ns and exchanges a e con enien as you
can ge e u ns / exchanges done om any s o e nea o you. I'm su e ha
he MATERIAL will no make anyone disappoin ed ha is why I ecommend
i om all my hea o my iends and amily...”
(In e iewee 10, Female,
P i a e Business).
“I ecommend Za a o i s a ie y o collec ion. The quali y and he up- o-
da e look… P ice a e easonable and wi hin budge . The a ie y o sizes ha
sui s e e ybody. Za a sa is ies all ages, e e y pe son in my amily. we can
go as a amily and we can all buy; o me, my husband and my daugh e ”
(In e iewee 11, Female, Banke ).
“I hink i is a o dable kind o . Good ma e ial. Good quali y. De ini ely also
he a ie y because in my opinion i doesn’ se e one ca ego y o people i
ac ually se es se e al ones. And se e al occasions; you ind some hing ha
is o mal, o some hing o special e en . O mo ning o casual. Tha makes
Za a my i s ecommenda ion because you will mos p obably ind wha you
a e looking o ”
(In e iewee 18, Female, Resea ch Scien is ).
“…good ma e ial. The a ie y o collec ion ha hey ha e because se es
se e al s yles, pe sonali ies and needs. I de ini ely ecommend i ”
(In e iewee 23, Female, Quali y Team Leade ).
“I always ecommend Za a o i s quali y and i uniqueness. I always hink
ha he e is a a ie y o p oduc s and a good quali y... Some imes a e I go
o Za a and I ind ha he e a lo o nice pieces, I send a message o my
iends o my amily and ell hem o check i
” (In e iewee 23, Female,
Quali y Specialis ).
4.10.2.3. Cus ome Engagemen (Cogni i e Aspec and Repu chasing) and Cus ome
Expe ience in he Pos -Pu chase S age
The las dimension o cus ome engagemen is cogni i e p ocessing is a consume 's le el o b and- ela ed
hough p ocessing and elabo a ion in a pa icula consume /b and in e ac ion (Hollebeek e al., 2014).
O he esea che s desc ibed cogni i e engagemen as "Abso p ion," which means he le el o cus ome
concen a ion on an engagemen objec such as he i m (Pa e son e al. 2006).
Cus ome engagemen in a holis ic way in ol es all cus ome ac i i ies. I is he mechanics o a cus ome 's
alue addi ion o he i m, ei he h ough di ec con ibu ion. Di ec con ibu ions in ol e cus ome li e ime
alue ( he cus ome 's pu chase beha io and, in o he wo ds epu chasing) (Kuma e al., 2010). The s udy
aims o unde s and wha makes Egyp ian cus ome s epu chase om he a o i e s o e o unde s and he
cogni i e dimension o he cus ome engagemen . The indings indica ed ha in e iewees men ioned he
quali y o he p oduc s, he p ices a e a o dable, he s a is help ul, and hei needs a e always sa is ied.
Table 30 con inua ion
130
In e iewee (1, Male, Real Es a e B oke ) ci ed,
"Za a has a wide a ie y o e y high-quali y clo hes and
shoes ha I would pu chase o a wide a ie y o occasions... p ices a e inexpensi e and a o dable. The s a
is eally help ul and iendly hey always di ec me".
In e iewee (3, Female, Teaching Assis an ) decla ed,
"I
hink I am a loyal cus ome . I always ind wha I look o . They ha e a a ie y o i ems… Thei ma e ial is
always good and up o da e o he la es ashion. Also, he p ices a e easonable. As well as I lo e when
people la e me abou my look and e e y ime i happens o be ha i is om Za a"
. And, in e iewee (22,
Female, Pha macis ) s a ed ha she cogni i ely hinks o Za a a he han o he s o es like H&M o Massimo-
Du i
"… Fo me no s o e o e s me his a ie y no Massimo-Du i, o H &M o Mango"
.
In e iewee (8, Female, Quali y Assu ance Manage ) s a ed ha wha makes he epu chase is he a ie y,
quali y, p ice, and endiness ha makes he come back and quo e,
“... is he bes deal in e e y hing
ega ding he i , he quali y, he p ice, and he endiness; ha is why I always come back”
. While, Cus ome
(18, Female, Resea ch Scien is ) decla ed ha whene e she hinks o any clo hes needed, Za a is he i s
hing ha comes o he mind and quo ed
, “...always ha e some hing ha is nice and endy and i s my s yle.
I some imes hink ha whene e I hink o a piece o clo hing o some hing, I eel ha I wan o ge I jus go
o Za a and I ind i ... i s hing ha pops o my mind”.
The ollowing ( able 31) p esen s quo a ions om he
esponses o he in e iew ques ions, as epo ed collec i ely ou o he wen y- i e in e iews.
Table 31 - Cus ome Engagemen (Cogni i e Aspec and Repu chasing) and Cus ome Expe ience
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin
which Da a
We e G ounded
Cus ome
Engagemen
(Cogni i e Aspec and
Repu chase) and
Cus ome Expe ience
in he Pos -Pu chase
S age
“Za a also has a wide a ie y o e y high-quali y clo hes and shoes ha I
would pu chase o a wide a ie y o occasions. Za a ha e a a ie y o i ems
no only in he clo hes and shoes bu also ag ances wi h good p ice. The
p ice is inexpensi e and a o dable. The s a a e eally help ul and iendly
hey always di ec me. I lo e hei o mal sui s ha hey ha e a s ylish look ye
chic and a he same ime no so expensi e...” (In e iewee 1, Male, Real
Es a e B oke ).
“I hink I am a loyal cus ome . I always ind wha I look o . They ha e a a ie y
o i ems in he clo hes, accesso ies, shoes, sca s and e en hey launched
swimming sui es la ely. Thei ma e ial is always good and up o da e o he
la es ashion. Also, he p ices a e easonable. As well as I lo e when people
la e me abou my look and e e y ime i happens o be ha i is om Za a”
(In e iewee 3, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
• All 25
In e iews.
• P e alence o
heme wi hin
cases
(100%).
• 25 cases
epu chase
a e he
expe ience.
131
“Good p ices and good i ing clo hes… he quali y is pe ec o me and sui s
me e y well and my li e s yle and pe sonali y.
The s a a e help ul and pa ien and eally keen o ge me wha I wan ... I can
shop o me, my husband and o my baby… The collabo a ions and he
p omocodes a e he bes . I lo e ha he clo hes a e “sus ainable co on”
which, makes i o me e hical shopping; his make me us hem mo e. The
online shopping expe ience is an as ic and smoo h e e y ime and he deli e y
is p omp . The s a gi e me ime o make my decision so hey a e pa ien
always” (In e iewee 7, Female, Cus ome Se ice Voda one).
“
Za a is he bes deal in e e y hing ega ding he i , he quali y, he p ice, and
he endiness; ha is why I always come back” (In e iewee 8, Female,
Quali y Assu ance Manage ).
“I don’ know how bu hey always ha e some hing ha is nice and endy and
i s eally my s yle. I jus some imes I hink ha whene e I hink o a piece o
clo hing o some hing, I eel ha I wan o ge I jus go o Za a and I ind i ”
(In e iewee 18, Female, Resea ch Scien is ).
“The ac ha I always like hei i mo e han o he b ands like in jeans and
pan s speci ically. They a e com ie and in line wi h wha I like and wha I
wan . This is he eason I guess ha make me come back o hem e e y ime
and pu chase” (In e iewee 19, Female, Teache ).
“Za a always change hei collec ion. The collec ion is always on end so I ge
a lo o possibili ies o collec ion o buy…The quali y o hei collec ion is
good…I hink he a ie y ha I always ind in Za a; o me no s o e o e s me
his a ie y no Massimo-Du i, o H &M o Mango” (In e iewee 22, Female,
Pha macis ).
The esea che hen asked he in e iewees how hey engage wi h hei a o i e s o e a e pu chase o
unde s and he cogni i e dimension o engagemen , and he esea che also asked how hey hink hei
a o i e s o e cus omizes hei p oduc s o hei needs. The indings indica ed ha cus ome s keep checking
he mobile applica ion and come back o he s o e like In e iewee (22, Female, Pha macis ) whe e
pu chasing om Za a e okes eelings like happiness and highligh s,
“I hink I come o he s o e again i I
need o e und o exchange. I keep checking hei Ins ag am and online applica ion o see he new collec ion.
I go o he s o e again and epu chase i I am in he mall… Because I always eel happy a e my pu chases
om Za a…”.
In e iewee (18, Female, Resea ch scien is ) quo ed,
“I always check hei o icial Ins ag am,
online applica ion and I isi he s o e. Because I always ind wha I look o in Za a”.
In e iewee (19, Female, Teache ) exp essed ha he a o i e s o e makes he eel a home because he
needs a e always sa is ied
“I check he mobile applica ion; I isi he s o e egula ly…I always eel happy a e
Table 31 con inua ion
132
my pu chases om Za a and unique. Za a has a a ie y indica o o all as es o ashion is a plus o hem…I
hink Za a ac ually makes you eel like you a e kind o home, you a e going o ind wha you need o wan ”
.
While, In e iewee (18, Female, Resea ch scien is ) s a ed ha Za a comes o he mind subconsciously i
she needs some hing “
I always check hei o icial Ins ag am; online applica ion and I isi he s o e…
some imes I hink ha whene e I hink o a piece o clo hing o some hing, I eel ha I wan o ge I jus go
o Za a and I ind i ...”
The ollowing ( able 32) p esen s quo a ions om he esponses o he in e iew
ques ions, as epo ed collec i ely ou o he wen y- i e in e iews.
Table 32 - Cus ome Engagemen Beha io s and Cus ome Expe ience
Theme
Desc ip ion F om Da a
Cases wi hin
which Da a We e
G ounded
Cus ome
Engagemen and
Cus ome Expe ience
in he Pos -Pu chase
S age
“
I hink I come o he s o e again i I need o e und o exchange. I keep
checking hei Ins ag am and online applica ion o see he new collec ion. I
go o he s o e again and epu chase i I am in he mall… Because I always
eel happy a e my pu chases om Za a…” (In e iewee 22, Female,
Pha macis ).
“I check he mobile applica ion; I isi he s o e egula ly…I always eel
happy a e my pu chases om Za a and unique. Za a ha e a a ie y
indica o o all as es o ashion is a plus o hem…I hink Za a ac ually
makes you eel like you a e kind o home, you a e going o ind wha you
need o wan ” (In e iewee 19, Female, Teache ).
“I always check hei o icial Ins ag am; online applica ion and I isi he
s o e… some imes I hink ha whene e I hink o a piece o clo hing o
some hing, I eel ha I wan o ge I jus go o Za a and I ind i ...”
(In e iewee 18, Female, Resea ch Scien is ).
“I always come back o he s o e again and epu chase. I also check hei
applica ion specially ecen ly a e he Co id-19 because I didn’ like he
online shopping be o e; o check he new collec ion and be o e he sale... I
check he new collec ion i I wan o change my mood and wea a new hing.
And I am always happy a e I buy om Za a (In e iewee 11, Female,
Banke ).
“
I keep checking he o icial Ins ag am page and he mobile applica ion o
see he new collec ion. E en a e I pu chased, I egula ly go o he s o e
e en i I will ake a quick look…. I always eel happy, good looking and
con iden a e my pu chases om Za a… I hink I go o Za a on a e age
e e y week. I eel ha I like o be upda ed wi h he collec ion ha ’s why I
keep checking he mobile applica ion and he Ins ag am page…”
(In e iewee 9, Female, Teache Assis an ).
• Cus ome
keep engaging
h ough
isi ing he
s o e, e e als
and
epu chasing.
133
“
I always check hei online applica ion… I do his au oma ic…
subconsciously e en i I am no looking o some hing ha I need”
(In e iewee 23, Female, Quali y Team Leade ).
“I check hei applica ion e en a e I pu chase. I can also ell my iends/
amily abou a ce ain piece, some imes he whole expe ience. I can also
w i e a e iew on Facebook… I always ind wha I look o in Za a… i always
gi es me wha I need...” (In e iewee 8, Female, Quali y Assu ance
Enginee ).
“I always check hei applica ion e en a e I pu chase. I can also ell my
iends/ amily abou a ce ain piece… some imes he whole expe ience….
Za a ha e e e y hing ela ed o a ashionably ull look… i o e s a
whole/ amily expe ience all wha I need o me, my amily and iends. Fo
e e y age and gende …” (In e iewee 3, Female, Teaching Assis an ).
4.11. Conclusion
In conclusion, cus ome s' dealings wi h he ouchpoin s shape he cus ome expe ience in he p e-pu chase,
pu chase, and pos -pu chase s ages. Fu he mo e, alue co-c ea ion shapes he cus ome jou ney and leads
o engagemen . The s udy e lec s he idea ha cus ome jou neys a e blu y. Fo example, in he p e-
pu chase s age, cus ome s can engage on social media like Facebook and Ins ag am, leading o
unin en ional cus ome expe ience and pu chasing. While in he pos -pu chase s age, cus ome s engage
a e ha ing a supe io expe ience and alue co-c ea ion wi h hei a o i e ashion s o es. Cus ome
engagemen in he ashion indus y appea s beha io ally h ough WOM, E-WOM, ecommenda ions, and
e e als o iends and amily. Cus ome s a e engaged emo ionally wi h hei a o i e ashion s o e hey
epu chase; some isi he s o e weekly, and o he s egula ly check he applica ion.
Table 32 con inua ion
134
DISCUSSION AND
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
135
Chap e 5 - Discussion and Gene al Conclusions
5.1. In oduc ion
This chap e p esen s he gene al conclusions o he s udy ega ding he esul s o he empi ical s udy ca ied
ou in he Egyp ian ma ke . The s udy aims o p o ide a gene al o e iew o he cus ome jou ney ha he
cus ome goes h ough wi h high s ee ashion s o es. The objec i e o he p esen esea ch was o
unde s and how ouchpoin s and alue co-c ea ion ela e o he cus ome expe ience and cus ome
engagemen . This s udy e lec s new pe spec i es: cus ome expe ience, alue co-c ea ion, and cus ome
engagemen , which will con ibu e o bo h academics and p ac i ione s. Acco dingly, he chap e discusses
he heo e ical implica ions and manage ial implica ions. Whe e his s udy can guide i ms on how managing
ouchpoin s e ec i ely and co-c ea ing alue can shape he whole cus ome expe ience and engagemen .
The chap e concludes wi h he limi a ions o cu en esea ch and ecommenda ions o u u e esea ch.
5.2. Main Empi ical Resea ch Conclusion
The s a ing poin o he s udy was o unde s and how cus ome s pe cei e he ouchpoin s ha shape he
whole cus ome expe ience. The s udy aimed o unde s and he alue co-c ea ion be ween he ashion s o es
and he cus ome s. Simul aneously, he s udy a ge was o unde s and how he cus ome expe ience and
alue co-c ea ion ela e o cus ome engagemen . In o de o es ic he esea ch a ena and a oid he con lic
o he pa icipan s, he s udy ocused on i e high-s ee ashion s o es in Egyp : Za a, Mango, Pull and Bea ,
Be shka, and S adi a ius. Since ha he cus ome jou ney is a complex p ocess, he esea che used
in e iews o ga he he da a. In o de o ha e a deepe unde s anding o he s udy objec i es, a quali a i e
s udy which a e in e iews; was unde aken o be able o lis en o he cus ome s' s o ies and in es iga e
deepe h ough hei emo ions om hei own s o ies.
The p esen quali a i e s udy, unde ook h ee esea ch ques ions ad anced: How do he ouchpoin s shape
he cus ome expe ience? How does alue co-c ea ion ela e o he cus ome expe ience? How does he
cus ome expe ience and alue co-c ea ion ela e o cus ome engagemen ? To con ey an answe o hese
esea ch ques ions, h ee main objec i es we e de ailed which a e:
1. Unde s and how he ouchpoin s (B and-owned and social/ex e nal ouchpoin s) shape he
cus ome expe ience.
136
2. Lea n abou he ole o alue co-c ea ion be ween cus ome s and i ms in shaping he whole
cus ome jou ney.
3. Gain in-dep h unde s anding o how he cus ome expe ience and alue co-c ea ion ela es o
cus ome engagemen .
The e o e, o answe he esea ch ques ions and o a ain he p oposed objec i es, he discussion o he
esul s om he da a is classi ied in o h ee pa s:
1. The cus ome expe ience and ouchpoin s in he p e-pu chase, pu chase and pos -pu chase
s ages.
2. Value co-c ea ion and cus ome expe ience in he p e-pu chase, pu chase and pos -pu chase.
3. Cus ome expe ience, alue co-c ea ion and cus ome engagemen in he p e-pu chase,
pu chase and pos -pu chase.
5.2.1. Cus ome Expe ience and Touchpoin s in he P e-pu chase, Pu chase and Pos -
pu chase s ages.
Cus ome expe ience de elops h ough he cus ome dealing wi h he ouchpoin (F ow and Payne, 2007).
Touchpoin s can be h ough di ec o indi ec in e ac ions s wi h a company's p oduc s, se ices, o b ands
(e.g., ecommenda ion o c i icism con e sa ions, news epo s, e iews) (S ein e al., 2016). P e ious
s udies ocused mos ly on a pa icula ouchpoin . Ye , in he con ex o oday's mul i ouch and mul ichannel
ma ke s, i is co e o unde s and a b oad ange o ouchpoin s wi hin and ou side he i ms' con ol, bo h
o line, such as he physical s o e, and online such as websi e and mobile applica ion. Thus, he s udy
displayed how hese mul i- ouchpoin s shape he cus ome expe ience in he p e-pu chase, pu chase, and
pos -pu chase, p esen ing an in eg a i e iew. The s udy add essed wo ouchpoin s: b and-owned and
social/ex e nal ouchpoin s. Fi s , b and-owned ouchpoin s include any b and-con olled ma ke ing mix
elemen s such as p oduc a ibu es, packaging, se ice, p ice, con enience, and employees (Ve hoe e al.,
2016). Second, social/ex e nal ouchpoin s a e he impac o o he s on he cus ome expe ience, such as
o he cus ome s, pee in luences, in o ma ion sou ces such as e iew si es (e.g., T ip Ad iso ), and social
media (Ve hoe e al. 2016).
137
5.2.1.1. B and-owned Touchpoin s Th oughou he Cus ome Jou ney
The p e-pu chase s age is he i s s age ha in ol es cus ome communica ion and he en i e expe ience
be o e pu chasing (Ve hoe e al., 2016). Resea che s deba ed ha cus ome expe ience is subjec i e and
speci ic o he con ex . Howe e , he cu en s udy o mula es a iew o how ouchpoin s shape he cus ome
ou comes o expe iences. Cus ome s end o highligh ha he mos c ucial ouchpoin in he p e-pu chase
s age is he mobile applica ion. The mobile applica ion allows he cus ome s o easily check he a ie y o
he p oduc s, he new collec ions in he ma ke , and wha he s o e can p esen o hem. The esea ch
decla ed ha cus ome s con inuously checking hei mobile applica ions became a li es yle ou ine.
Mo eo e , cus ome s end o pass by he s o e egula ly o see he collec ion, e en ually, leading o an
expe ience/pu chase. The cu en s udy added o he li e a u e ha pas expe iences (p e-
pu chasing/pu chasing) shape cus ome s' u u e p e-pu chasing and pu chases expe ience. Ye , in he
cu en esea ch, i should be no ed ha pu chasing decisions o en blu he on ie s be ween s ages o p e-
pu chase and pu chase. The s udy indica ed ha e en ually cus ome s become a ached emo ionally o he
s o e a e se e al expe iences wi h hei a o i e ashion s o e.
The pu chase s age is he s age ha he cus ome decides o pu chase (Ve hoe e al., 2016). A his s age,
b and-owned ouchpoin s may in ol e he employees o he s o e. Cus ome in e ac ions wi h employees a e
c ucial, especially du ing in-s o e pu chases. The cu en s udy showed ha b and-owned ouchpoin s such
as ace- o- ace in e ac ion wi h employees and isi ing he s o e eme ge as pa icula ly ele an in he
pu chase s age. Mo eo e , du ing he pu chase s age, cus ome s also encoun e p oduc a ibu es such as
ma e ial, i ing, and quali y ha con ibu e o e alua ing hei expe ience a he ouch poin (S ein e al.,
2016). Thus, by isi ing and in e ac ing wi h he s o e employees, consume s can ouch he pieces and li e
hei whole unique expe ience. The p esen s udy added o he li e a u e ha he cus ome s in he pu chasing
expe ience wi h hei a o i e s o e a e no only a need ha is sa is ied, bu i is e ol ing in o un o ge able
momen s and pleasan expe iences. Hence, his s udy a icula es ha he expe ience in he pu chase s age
is abou li ing he en i e expe ience ha goes beyond a pu chasing ansac ion o a eeling o li ing he whole
expe ience. In he con ex o he cu en esea ch, in he pu chasing s age, cus ome s gain
alue
, which
eme ges om physically connec ing wi h he b and-owned ouch poin s and he emo ions associa ed wi h
hese ouch poin s. Cus ome s' emo ions in such s age a e a o able emo ions which can help winding down
om e e yday hinking o daily esponsibili y.
138
Conce ning he pos -pu chase s age, b and-owned ouch poin s a e packaging, he p ice wi h good quali y,
con enience, and sales o ce eme ges as pa icula ly ele an . Cus ome s conside ecei ing he package on
ime; he co ec i ems and accessible communica ion a e c ucial. The i ms in e ac wi h cus ome s h ough
channels, including elephone, email, and online cha (S ein e al., 2016). The p esen s udy showed ha in
he pos -pu chase s age, he s o e could send an email o mobile message o ensu e he online o de s a e
ecei ed and he cus ome s a e sa is ied. In he con ex o he cu en esea ch, in he pos -pu chase s age,
cus ome s gain Value, which eme ges om hei eeling ha he i m ca es abou hei eedback.
Addi ionally, in he pos -pu chase s age, he cu en s udy e eals ha cus ome s look o accessible
communica ion h oughou all ouchpoin s. Cus ome s always pu chase isk- ee because hey know hey
will each he p e e ed s o e easily h ough a ious channels such as digi al ouchpoin s like he mobile
applica ion o physical ouchpoin s like going o he s o e. The cu en s udy con ibu es o knowledge by
highligh ing isk as a co e dimension o alue co-c ea ion a his s age. Fo example, a isk- ee pu chase
adds alue o he whole expe ience, and alue is co-c ea ed. The p esen s udy expands knowledge ha isk
is e alua ed as a co-c ea ion aspec ep esen ed, o example, in he e und policy. In his s age, consume s
aim o e und/exchange easily a e pu chasing. The esea ch added o he knowledge conce ning he e und
policy, which is i al o mi iga e he isk pe cep ion, add essing ma e s such as e und and exchange policy
occu ing smoo hly, quickly, and lexibly. An easy e und policy makes he cus ome s es assu ed o any
ansac ion and p o ides eelings such as sa e y and com o . Thus, he smoo h e und policy he s o e can
o e c ea es a supe io , easie , and un o ge able cus ome expe ience. In he con ex o he cu en
esea ch, in he pos -pu chasing s age, cus ome s gain alue, which goes beyond e unding/exchanging bu
e ol es in o he s o e's alue in con eying a eeling o assu ance and com o o he cus ome s.
5.2.1.2. Social/Ex e nal Touchpoin s Th oughou he Cus ome Jou ney
Social/ex e nal ouchpoin s a e he impac o o he s on he cus ome expe ience, such as o he cus ome s,
pee in luences, in o ma ion sou ces such as e iew si es (e.g., T ip Ad iso ), and social media pla o ms
(Ve hoe e al. 2016). The s udy indica ed ha in he p e-pu chase s age, hose pee in luences a e he
cus ome s' iends/ amily who shape he cus ome expe ience and ask o hei opinion when hey check he
websi e o mobile applica ion. Fu he mo e, he cu en esea ch added o he knowledge ha social media
pla o ms as a social/ ex e nal ouchpoin in he p e-pu chase s age eme ge ele an in shaping he cus ome
expe ience. In he p e-pu chasing s age, social media pla o ms inspi e cus ome s on how o s yle clo hes
