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Impact of brand community supportive climates on consumer-to-consumer helping behavior

Junyun Liao (Research Institute on Brand Innovation and Development of Guangzhou, School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China)
Wei Wang (Research Institute on Brand Innovation and Development of Guangzhou, School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China)
Peng Du (Department of Marketing Management, School of Business Administration, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, China)
Raffaele Filieri (Department of Marketing, Audencia Business School, Nantes, France)

Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing

ISSN: 2040-7122

Article publication date: 18 July 2022

Issue publication date: 4 May 2023

810

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore whether or not and how brand community supportive climates (information- versus emotion-supportive climates) have an impact on consumer-to-consumer helping behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of users of cell phone brand communities was conducted, and data from 413 participants were used to validate the hypotheses of this study.

Findings

Results indicated that emotion- and information-supportive climates enhance consumer-to-consumer helping behavior through consumer–community relationships (i.e. brand community identification and brand community commitment).

Research limitations/implications

To enhance the external validity of this research, future studies could investigate other settings (e.g. social media-based brand communities and brands of other product types) in countries with different religious beliefs.

Practical implications

Marketers should create an environment where consumers feel informationally and emotionally supported within the brand community, thereby enabling the former to enhance their relationships with their brand communities and ultimately increase consumers' helping behavior.

Originality/value

By dividing the supportive climate into two parts, the current study enriched the literature on community climate. Moreover, the authors complemented and expanded the literature on consumer helping behavior.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This project is supported by National Social Science Foundation of China (21BGL132); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (71802097); Jinan University Management School Funding Program (GY21013); Institute for Enterprise Development, Jinan University, Guangdong Province (2021MYZD04 and 2020CP03); Philosophy and Social Sciences Planning Program of Guangzhou (2021GZYB05 and 2022JDGJ06), Research Institute on Brand Innovation and Development of Guangzhou (2021CS05) and Special Funds for the Cultivation of Guangdong College Students' Scientific and Technological Innovation (“Climbing Program” special funds pdjh2022b0071).

Citation

Liao, J., Wang, W., Du, P. and Filieri, R. (2023), "Impact of brand community supportive climates on consumer-to-consumer helping behavior", Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 434-452. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-03-2022-0069

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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