Service marketing, value co-creation and customer satisfaction in the airsoft industry: case of a technology-based firm
Abstract
The main objective of the paper is to examine whether offering a co-creation opportunity as a part of service marketing strategy influences customer value creation and satisfaction in the airsoft industry. Our study uses a case study of a technology-based firm from the airsoft industry which operates internationally. The methods employed included statistical analyses based on the data collected through a survey of the technology-based company customers (n=178). Coefficients of Spearman and Kendall were used to examine the correlations between respondents’ particulars and elements influencing customer satisfaction. The study results reveal that there are different drivers involved in the marketing strategy of value co-creation and customer satisfaction, and some of them have a stronger impact on target customers. The research contributes to the present scientific publications by adding a comprehensive analysis of users’ value co-production as part of a successful marketing strategy implementation by a technology-based firm. The study emphasizes the need for more empirically grounded support for the management of value co-creation processes incorporated in firm’s marketing strategy.
Keyword : service marketing, value co-creation, customer satisfaction, airsoft industry, case study
How to Cite
Szarucki, M., & Menet, G. (2018). Service marketing, value co-creation and customer satisfaction in the airsoft industry: case of a technology-based firm. Business, Management and Economics Engineering, 16, 94-107. https://doi.org/10.3846/bme.2018.2138
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
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Agarwal, B., & Kapoor, N. (2014). Impact of marketing strategies on customer satisfaction in insurance sector. Pranjana: The Journal of Management Awareness, 17(1), 37-46.
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Bagozzi, R. P., & Dholakia, U. P. (2006). Antecedents and purchase consequences of customer participation in small group brand communities. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 23(1), 45-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2006.01.005
Bai, B., Law, R., & Wen, I. (2008). The impact of website quality on customer satisfaction and purchase intentions: Evidence from Chinese online visitors. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27(3), 391-402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2007.10.008
Bloemer, J., & Ruyter, K. D. (1999). Customer loyalty in high and low involvement service settings: the moderating impact of positive emotions. Journal of Marketing Management, 15(4), 315-330. https://doi.org/10.1362/026725799784870388
Bosch‐Sijtsema, P., & Bosch, J. (2015). User involvement throughout the innovation process in high‐tech industries. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 32(5), 793-807. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12233
Cusumano, M. A., Kahl, S. J., & Suarez, F. F. (2015). Services, industry evolution, and the competitive strategies of product firms. Strategic Management Journal, 36(4), 559-575. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2235
Dabholkar, P. A., & Sheng, X. (2012). Consumer participation in using online recommendation agents: effects on satisfaction, trust, and purchase intentions. Service Industries Journal, 32(9), 1433-1449. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2011.624596
Deng, Z., Lu, Y., Wei, K. K., & Zhanga, J. (2010). Understanding customer satisfaction and loyalty: an empirical study of mobile instant messages in China. International Journal of Information Management, 30(4), 289-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2009.10.001
Fornell, C., & Wernerfelt, B. (1987). Defensive marketing strategy by customer complaint management: a theoretical analysis. Journal of Marketing Research, 24(4), 337-346. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151381
Fournier, S., & Mick, D. G. (1999). Rediscovering satisfaction. Journal of Marketing, 63(4), 5-23. https://doi.org/10.2307/1251971
Gallarza, M., Gil-Saura, I., & Arteaga-Moreno, F. (2017). Exploring competing models on sacrifices, quality, value, satisfaction and loyalty with PLS and partial correlations. European Journal of Tourism Research, 17, 116-135.
Groen, A., Cook, G., & Van der Sijde, P. (2015). New technology-based firms in the new millennium. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1876-0228201511
Grönroos, C. (1996). Relationship marketing logic. Asia-Australia Marketing Journal, 4(1), 7-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1320-1646(96)70264-2
Grönroos, C. (2006). Adopting a service logic for marketing. Marketing theory, 6(3), 317-333. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593106066794
Grönroos, C. (2011). Value co-creation in service logic: a critical analysis. Marketing Theory, 11(3), 279-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593111408177
Grönroos, C. (2007). Service management and marketing. customer management in service competition (3rd ed.). West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.
Grönroos, C. (2008). Service logic revisited: who creates value? And who co-creates?. European Business Review, 20(4), 298-314. https://doi.org/10.1108/09555340810886585
Grönroos, C., & Voima, P. (2013). Critical service logic: making sense of value creation and co-creation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(2), 133-150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-012-0308-3
Heinonen, K., Strandvik, T., Mickelsson, K. J., Edvardsson, B., Sundström, E., & Andersson, P. (2010). A customer‐dominant logic of service. Journal of Service Management, 21(4), 531-548. https://doi.org/10.1108/09564231011066088
Hollebeek, L. D., Srivastava, R. K., & Chen, T. (2016). SD logic–informed customer engagement: integrative framework, revised fundamental propositions, and application to CRM. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 1, 1-25.
Homburg, C., Jozic, D., & Kuehnl, C. (2017). Customer experience management: toward implementing an evolving marketing concept. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(3), 377-401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-015-0460-7
Homburg, C., Koschate, N., & Hoyer, W. D. (2005). Do satisfied customers really pay more? A study of the relationship between customer satisfaction and willingness to pay. Journal of Marketing, 69(2), 84-96. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.69.2.84.60760
Hsieh, J. K., & Hsieh Y. C. (2015). Dialogic co-creation and service innovation performance in high-tech companies. Journal of Business Research, 68(11), 2266-2271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.06.009
Hunt, D. M., Geiger-Oneto, S., & Varca, P. E. (2012). Satisfaction in the context of customer co-production: a behavioural involvement perspective. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 11, 347-356. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1370
Kelley, S.W., Donnelly, J. H. Jr, & Skinner, S. J. (1990). Customer participation in service production and delivery. Journal of Retailing, 66(3), 315-325.
Kim, K., Kim, Y., Lee, M., & Youn, M. (2014). The effects of co-brand marketing mix strategies on customer satisfaction, trust and loyalty for medium and small traders and manufacturers. Ekonomie a Management, 17(1), 140-151. https://doi.org/10.15240/tul/001/2014-1-011
Kim, S., & Stoel, L. (2004). Apparel retailers: website quality dimensions and satisfaction. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 11(2), 109-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-6989(03)00010-9
Kowalkowski, C., Ridell, O. P., Röndell J. G., & Sörhammar, D. (2012). The co-creative practice of forming a value proposition. Journal of Marketing Management, 28(13), 1553-1570. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2012.736875
Levitt, T. (1960). Marketing myopia. Harvard Business Review, 38(4), 45-56.
Lovelock, C. H., & Young, R. F. (1979). Look to consumers to increase productivity. Harvard Business Review, 57(3), 9-20.
Lusch, R. F., Vargo, S .L., & O’Brien, M. (2007). Competing through service: insights from service-dominant logic. Journal of Retailing, 83(1), 2-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2006.10.002
Melián-González, S., Bulchand-Gidumal, J., & González López-Valcárcel, B. (2013). Online customer reviews of hotels: as participation increases, better evaluation is obtained. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 54(3), 274-283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965513481498
Mustak, M., Jaakkola, E., & Halinen, A. (2013). Customer participation and value creation: a systematic review and research implications. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 23(4), 341-359. https://doi.org/10.1108/MSQ-03-2013-0046
Pansari, A., & Kumar, V. (2017). Customer engagement: the construct, antecedents, and consequences. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(3), 294-311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0485-6
Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy V. (2004). Co-creating unique value with customers. Strategy & Leadership, 32(3), 4-9. https://doi.org/10.1108/10878570410699249
Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy, V. (2000). Co-opting customer competence. Harvard Business Review, 78(1), 79-90.
Rosenbaum, M. S., Ostrom, A. L., & Kuntze, R. (2005). Loyalty programs and a sense of community. Journal of Services Marketing, 19(4), 222-233. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876040510605253
Sabyasachi, D., Chauhan, R. K., & Chauhan, K. (2017). Factors affecting customer satisfaction of online travel agencies in India. Tourism & Hospitality Management, 23(2), 267-277. https://doi.org/10.20867/thm.23.2.3
Skålén, P., Gummerus, J., von Koskull, C., & Magnusson, P. R. (2015). Exploring value propositions and service innovation: a service-dominant logic study. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(2), 137-158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-013-0365-2
Srinivasan, V., & Park, C. S. (1997). Surprising robustness of the self-explicated approach to customer preference structure measurement. Journal of Marketing Research, 34, 286-291. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151865
Troye, S. V., & Supphellen, M. (2012). Consumer participation in coproduction: ‘I made it myself ’ effects on consumers’ sensory perceptions and evaluations of outcome and input product. Journal of Marketing, 76(2), 33-46. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.10.0205
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2004). Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.68.1.1.24036
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2008). Service-dominant logic: continuing the evolution. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-007-0069-6
Vega-Vazquez, M., Revilla-Camacho, M. A., & Cossío-Silva, F. J. (2013). The value co-creation process as a determinant of customer satisfaction. Management Decision, 51(10), 1945-1953. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-04-2013-0227
Yang, C., Chen, C., & Chien,Y. (2014). Customer expertise, affective commitment, customer participation, and loyalty in B&B services. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 6(4), 174-183.
Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: design and methods (4th ed.). London: SAGE.
Zhang, T., Lu, C., & Kizildag, M. (2017). Engaging generation Y to co-create through mobile technology. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 21(4), 489-516. https://doi.org/10.1080/10864415.2016.1355639
Zhang, T., Lu, C., Torres, E., & Chen, P. (2018). Engaging customers in value co-creation or co-destruction online. Journal of Services Marketing, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-01-2017-0027
Adeyinka, T., & Isah, A. (2015). Predictors of users’ satisfaction with e-payment system: a case study of staff at the university of Ilorin, Nigeria. Organizacija, 48(4), 272-286.
Agarwal, B., & Kapoor, N. (2014). Impact of marketing strategies on customer satisfaction in insurance sector. Pranjana: The Journal of Management Awareness, 17(1), 37-46.
Anderson, E. W. (1996). Customer satisfaction and price tolerance. Marketing Letters, 7(3), 265-274. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00435742
Anderson, E. W., Fornell, C., & Lehmann, D. R. (1994). Customer satisfaction, market share, and profitability: findings from Sweden. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 53-66. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252310
Bagozzi, R. P., & Dholakia, U. P. (2006). Antecedents and purchase consequences of customer participation in small group brand communities. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 23(1), 45-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2006.01.005
Bai, B., Law, R., & Wen, I. (2008). The impact of website quality on customer satisfaction and purchase intentions: Evidence from Chinese online visitors. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27(3), 391-402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2007.10.008
Bloemer, J., & Ruyter, K. D. (1999). Customer loyalty in high and low involvement service settings: the moderating impact of positive emotions. Journal of Marketing Management, 15(4), 315-330. https://doi.org/10.1362/026725799784870388
Bosch‐Sijtsema, P., & Bosch, J. (2015). User involvement throughout the innovation process in high‐tech industries. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 32(5), 793-807. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12233
Cusumano, M. A., Kahl, S. J., & Suarez, F. F. (2015). Services, industry evolution, and the competitive strategies of product firms. Strategic Management Journal, 36(4), 559-575. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2235
Dabholkar, P. A., & Sheng, X. (2012). Consumer participation in using online recommendation agents: effects on satisfaction, trust, and purchase intentions. Service Industries Journal, 32(9), 1433-1449. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2011.624596
Deng, Z., Lu, Y., Wei, K. K., & Zhanga, J. (2010). Understanding customer satisfaction and loyalty: an empirical study of mobile instant messages in China. International Journal of Information Management, 30(4), 289-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2009.10.001
Fornell, C., & Wernerfelt, B. (1987). Defensive marketing strategy by customer complaint management: a theoretical analysis. Journal of Marketing Research, 24(4), 337-346. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151381
Fournier, S., & Mick, D. G. (1999). Rediscovering satisfaction. Journal of Marketing, 63(4), 5-23. https://doi.org/10.2307/1251971
Gallarza, M., Gil-Saura, I., & Arteaga-Moreno, F. (2017). Exploring competing models on sacrifices, quality, value, satisfaction and loyalty with PLS and partial correlations. European Journal of Tourism Research, 17, 116-135.
Groen, A., Cook, G., & Van der Sijde, P. (2015). New technology-based firms in the new millennium. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1876-0228201511
Grönroos, C. (1996). Relationship marketing logic. Asia-Australia Marketing Journal, 4(1), 7-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1320-1646(96)70264-2
Grönroos, C. (2006). Adopting a service logic for marketing. Marketing theory, 6(3), 317-333. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593106066794
Grönroos, C. (2011). Value co-creation in service logic: a critical analysis. Marketing Theory, 11(3), 279-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593111408177
Grönroos, C. (2007). Service management and marketing. customer management in service competition (3rd ed.). West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.
Grönroos, C. (2008). Service logic revisited: who creates value? And who co-creates?. European Business Review, 20(4), 298-314. https://doi.org/10.1108/09555340810886585
Grönroos, C., & Voima, P. (2013). Critical service logic: making sense of value creation and co-creation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(2), 133-150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-012-0308-3
Heinonen, K., Strandvik, T., Mickelsson, K. J., Edvardsson, B., Sundström, E., & Andersson, P. (2010). A customer‐dominant logic of service. Journal of Service Management, 21(4), 531-548. https://doi.org/10.1108/09564231011066088
Hollebeek, L. D., Srivastava, R. K., & Chen, T. (2016). SD logic–informed customer engagement: integrative framework, revised fundamental propositions, and application to CRM. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 1, 1-25.
Homburg, C., Jozic, D., & Kuehnl, C. (2017). Customer experience management: toward implementing an evolving marketing concept. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(3), 377-401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-015-0460-7
Homburg, C., Koschate, N., & Hoyer, W. D. (2005). Do satisfied customers really pay more? A study of the relationship between customer satisfaction and willingness to pay. Journal of Marketing, 69(2), 84-96. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.69.2.84.60760
Hsieh, J. K., & Hsieh Y. C. (2015). Dialogic co-creation and service innovation performance in high-tech companies. Journal of Business Research, 68(11), 2266-2271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.06.009
Hunt, D. M., Geiger-Oneto, S., & Varca, P. E. (2012). Satisfaction in the context of customer co-production: a behavioural involvement perspective. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 11, 347-356. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1370
Kelley, S.W., Donnelly, J. H. Jr, & Skinner, S. J. (1990). Customer participation in service production and delivery. Journal of Retailing, 66(3), 315-325.
Kim, K., Kim, Y., Lee, M., & Youn, M. (2014). The effects of co-brand marketing mix strategies on customer satisfaction, trust and loyalty for medium and small traders and manufacturers. Ekonomie a Management, 17(1), 140-151. https://doi.org/10.15240/tul/001/2014-1-011
Kim, S., & Stoel, L. (2004). Apparel retailers: website quality dimensions and satisfaction. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 11(2), 109-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-6989(03)00010-9
Kowalkowski, C., Ridell, O. P., Röndell J. G., & Sörhammar, D. (2012). The co-creative practice of forming a value proposition. Journal of Marketing Management, 28(13), 1553-1570. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2012.736875
Levitt, T. (1960). Marketing myopia. Harvard Business Review, 38(4), 45-56.
Lovelock, C. H., & Young, R. F. (1979). Look to consumers to increase productivity. Harvard Business Review, 57(3), 9-20.
Lusch, R. F., Vargo, S .L., & O’Brien, M. (2007). Competing through service: insights from service-dominant logic. Journal of Retailing, 83(1), 2-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2006.10.002
Melián-González, S., Bulchand-Gidumal, J., & González López-Valcárcel, B. (2013). Online customer reviews of hotels: as participation increases, better evaluation is obtained. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 54(3), 274-283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965513481498
Mustak, M., Jaakkola, E., & Halinen, A. (2013). Customer participation and value creation: a systematic review and research implications. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 23(4), 341-359. https://doi.org/10.1108/MSQ-03-2013-0046
Pansari, A., & Kumar, V. (2017). Customer engagement: the construct, antecedents, and consequences. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(3), 294-311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0485-6
Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy V. (2004). Co-creating unique value with customers. Strategy & Leadership, 32(3), 4-9. https://doi.org/10.1108/10878570410699249
Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy, V. (2000). Co-opting customer competence. Harvard Business Review, 78(1), 79-90.
Rosenbaum, M. S., Ostrom, A. L., & Kuntze, R. (2005). Loyalty programs and a sense of community. Journal of Services Marketing, 19(4), 222-233. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876040510605253
Sabyasachi, D., Chauhan, R. K., & Chauhan, K. (2017). Factors affecting customer satisfaction of online travel agencies in India. Tourism & Hospitality Management, 23(2), 267-277. https://doi.org/10.20867/thm.23.2.3
Skålén, P., Gummerus, J., von Koskull, C., & Magnusson, P. R. (2015). Exploring value propositions and service innovation: a service-dominant logic study. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(2), 137-158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-013-0365-2
Srinivasan, V., & Park, C. S. (1997). Surprising robustness of the self-explicated approach to customer preference structure measurement. Journal of Marketing Research, 34, 286-291. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151865
Troye, S. V., & Supphellen, M. (2012). Consumer participation in coproduction: ‘I made it myself ’ effects on consumers’ sensory perceptions and evaluations of outcome and input product. Journal of Marketing, 76(2), 33-46. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.10.0205
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2004). Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.68.1.1.24036
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2008). Service-dominant logic: continuing the evolution. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-007-0069-6
Vega-Vazquez, M., Revilla-Camacho, M. A., & Cossío-Silva, F. J. (2013). The value co-creation process as a determinant of customer satisfaction. Management Decision, 51(10), 1945-1953. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-04-2013-0227
Yang, C., Chen, C., & Chien,Y. (2014). Customer expertise, affective commitment, customer participation, and loyalty in B&B services. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 6(4), 174-183.
Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: design and methods (4th ed.). London: SAGE.
Zhang, T., Lu, C., & Kizildag, M. (2017). Engaging generation Y to co-create through mobile technology. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 21(4), 489-516. https://doi.org/10.1080/10864415.2016.1355639
Zhang, T., Lu, C., Torres, E., & Chen, P. (2018). Engaging customers in value co-creation or co-destruction online. Journal of Services Marketing, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-01-2017-0027