How to create more customer value in independent coffee shops？ A set-theoretic approach to value creation

Purpose:The purpose of this research is to study how customer’s personal characteristics(agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience)combined with customer’s participation behavior(CPB), citizenship behavior (CCB) and employee’s extra service (organizational behaviors toward customer, OCB-C)leads to customer episode/relationship value, by using a configurationalapproach. The value creation related behaviors and the outcome are based on value co-creation theory. The customer’s personality characteristics are based on the ‘big five’ model. Design/methodology/approach: The research sample consists of customers who have visited independent coffee shops in Guangzhou, south China, from March1, 2019to Jan20, 2020,and data were gathered through in-depth interviews and a survey. Configuration theory and more specifically, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA)was used as method.Findings: The resultsdemonstrate that a high level of episode /relationship value can be producedthrough multiple configurations of customer’s personal characteristics(agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience), customer’s participation (CPB and CCB), andemployee’s extra service(OCB-C). In order to achieve high episode value, OCB-C and CCB arekey factors. Also,high agreeableness, high openness, and lowconscientiousnessplay an important role to achievea high level of episode /relationship value. Originality/value:This study makes contributions to the advancement of value creation theory by conducting an empirical study of the key factors related to customer value and different pathways to achieve high customer episode /relationship value. Furthermore, the set-theoretic approach providesa different insight in this academic research area. Practical implications: The independent coffee industry in China is a new and booming business with great growth potential. Understanding and unraveling effective waysto generatecustomer value helps the independent coffee shopsto capture theiradvantage competence.

Publication year:2020

Keywords:P3 Proceeding

Accessibility:Open