Customer Participation in Virtual Communities for Local High Streets

Customers increasingly substitute personal interaction on high streets with digital participation in retail-related virtual communities (VC) and social shopping sites. This work investigates the potential adoption of a VC to the high street to strengthen its competitive position. We assess customers' motives for participating in such a VC and its effect on customers' intention to visit the high street. We field an online survey with 402 participants that builds upon uses and gratifications theory. Our results suggest that receiving and sharing information are the most influential drivers of high street VC participation, which, in turn, leads to favorable behavioral responses.