Investigating social motivations, opportunity and ability to participate in communities of virtual co-creation

Communities of virtual co-creation are emerging as a new form of consumer engagement, where through a collaborative and interactive process, ideas and knowledge from consumer are applied differently to create new value for the consumers themselves, the company and all stakeholders. The aim of this paper is to explore the drivers, namely motivation, opportunity and ability, of consumer willingness to participate in communities of virtual co-creation. The role of social motivations, that is, altruism and social reputation, particularly relevant inside online communities, is investigated. Data were collected through an online survey on 180 consumers from diverse nationalities. The unit of analysis was a virtual co-creation activity for food products. Findings show that consumer motivation and ability have a relevant influence on willingness to participate in cocreation projects, while opportunity has not. In particular, ability showed to be the most relevant factor, suggesting that virtual co-creation initiatives should be properly designed to facilitate the engagement of consumers. Further, results indicate that consumers’ motivations are driven by both altruism and social reputation, where altruism plays a greater role. This confirms that social relations are key motivational drivers in virtual communities, where value is created through interaction with like-minded people, exchange of information and experiences, provision of support.