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Extending lead-user theory to a virtual brand community: the roles of flow experience and trust

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Abstract

With the growing popularity of consumer participation in product innovation in online brand community, this research aims to integrate the concepts of flow experience and variance of trust to explore the effects of these two factors on the relationship between lead userness and innovative behavior in an online context. Survey data from the Xiaomi Company’s virtual brand community show that lead userness has a positive impact on flow experience and, in turn, on innovative behavior. In addition, flow experience mediates the relationship between lead userness and innovative behavior when trust in a virtual brand community is high rather than low.

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Funding

This study is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71572130), the Shanghai Pujiang Program (Grant No. 15PJC094), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 22120180074) granted to Li Wang and by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71402122) granted to Yuan Yang.

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  1. Department of Business Administration, School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Rd, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Li Wang & Yuan Yang

  2. CCB Life Insurance Co, 99 Yincheng Road, Pudong District, Shanghai, 200120, China

    Yishuai Li

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  1. Li Wang
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Correspondence to Yuan Yang.

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Wang, L., Yang, Y. & Li, Y. Extending lead-user theory to a virtual brand community: the roles of flow experience and trust. Asian Bus Manage 20, 618–643 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41291-019-00097-9

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