Motivations for and outcomes of participating in research online communities

Juyoung Bang, Seounmi Youn, James Rowean, Michael Jennings and Manila Austin

This study examined consumers' motivations for participating in market research online communities (MROCs) and an integrative role of community identification in explaining its motivational antecedents and consequences.

Introduction

In a culture that highly values "listening to" consumers, online research communities have been actively employed as an alternative to traditional online research techniques (Rappaport, 2010; Wiesenfeld, Busy, & Sikdar, 2010). As a platform for participative and conversational research, marketers appreciate the efficacy of company-sponsored market research online communities (MROCs), which are closed to invited members for brand interaction in response to topics prompted by the researchers or marketers (Comley, 2008; Heinze, Ferneley, & Child, 2013; Schillewaert, De Ruyck, & Verhaeghe, 2009). Embracing consumers' voices in MROCs provides companies with ways to capture consumer insights, evaluate new products, as...

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