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How attributions of coproduction motives shape customer relationships over time
Pascal Güntürkün1, Till Haumann2, Laura Marie Edinger-Schons3
1Department of Marketing, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria.
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
|January 23, 2023
Summary
Customer coproduction can negatively impact long-term relationships, as perceived firm-serving motives persist longer than customer-serving motives. Understanding these psychological processes is key for managing customer relationships effectively.
Area of Science:
- Business
- Marketing
- Consumer Behavior
Background:
- Limited understanding of how customer coproduction affects long-term customer relationships.
- Prior studies show mixed results and focus on short-term effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate psychological processes behind short- and long-term consequences of coproduction perceptions.
- Examine how ambivalent attributions of firm motives influence customer relationships over time.
Main Methods:
- Latent growth analysis of a longitudinal field study (n=12,662) over six waves.
- An experiment (n=931) and an additional field study (n=360) to confirm generalizability.
Main Results:
- Firm-serving motive attributions have persistent detrimental effects on customer relationships.
- Customer-serving motive attributions have favorable but temporary effects.
- Coproduction can harm customer relationships in the long run.
Conclusions:
- Customer attributions of firm motives are crucial for shaping customer relationships.
- Firm-specific coproduction characteristics influence customer attributions and relationship outcomes.
- Managerial insights provided on managing coproduction for sustained customer relationships.
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