The more I know, the more I engage: consumer education's role in consumer engagement in the coffee shop context

Abstract

PurposeThe present study examines the potential association between the company's efforts on consumer education and consumer engagement and addresses the implications of this link in strategic decision-making.Design/methodology/approachThe coffee shop industry serves as the context for testing the probable effect of education on creating more engaged consumers. To achieve this objective, regular coffee drinkers were asked to evaluate the education efforts of their favourite coffee shop and their level of engagement was assessed. Education and engagement were assessed using previously developed scales constituting a 32-item scale. The responses of 122 subjects were used in the analysis.FindingsConsumer education, both firm specific and market related, are found to be related to engagement within a coffee shop context. Findings might suggest alternative strategies within coffee shop brands to enhance their educational efforts to increasing their consumer's engagement levels, which might ultimately result in more loyal customers.Practical implicationsThe association between consumer education and consumer engagement is relevant when engagement is identified as a powerful predictor of several desired behavioural outcomes, such as satisfaction, word of mouth and loyalty. The possibility of education influencing consumer engagement might highlight an alternative strategy for companies pursuing higher engagement levels.Originality/valueAlthough both constructs, education and engagement, have been previously used to analyse a set of different phenomena, the present study is perhaps the first to address a potential correlation between the two.

Driving customer engagement and citizenship behaviour in omnichannel retailing: evidence from the fashion sector

“…Customer engagement is a multidimensional construct representing the cognitive, affective and behavioural manifestations of customer attachment to, interaction with, participation in, connection with, and sometimes commitment to a product or business identity in a way that creates value for both the customer and the business (Dass et al , 2021). Engagement is normally affected by awareness, motivation and social networks and can be used to predict various types of behavioural outcomes by shaping the decision-making process (Mohammad et al , 2020; Ornelas Sánchez and Vera Martínez, 2021; Rather, 2019). Engaged customers are willing to invest their available resources of time, effort and money in value co-creation behaviour to communicate their loyalty to a brand interactively among their social networks (Loureiro et al , 2017).…”

Toward understanding sophisticated markets and consumers: a win-win strategic alternative

“…Considering that sophisticated markets offer higher-quality products, the need for consumers to assess this higher quality becomes relevant. Hence, the role of consumer education is providing the necessary actions for them to increase this ability and, consequently, receive the positive consequences of this education in higher levels of engagement and loyalty (Bell et al, 2017;S anchez and Martínez, 2020). Based on the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1973) and the principles of the theory of social representation applied to marketing (Lauri, 2015), the present study considers that this educational process should be based on the construction of a system of truthful, normative shared beliefs.…”

“…Blue Bottle Coffee and Starbucks Reserve). On the consumer side, the shift from a mass-market consumption to a sophisticated one implies several factors that would include a higher engagement level, closer relationships with retailers (Sánchez and Martínez, 2020) and a higher ability to differentiate the quality and characteristics of the products offered (Ornelas and Vera, 2019). Most of these factors are presented in this work as research propositions that may facilitate a deeper understanding of the sophistication process.…”

“…Even if the actual ability to identify higher levels of quality may be partial, sophisticated consumers are more interested in quality and quality communication than mass-market consumers, comparing products within the same category. This knowledge and ability to differentiate quality is usually realized through consumer education, which is a responsibility bestowed on retailers in several industries (Sánchez and Martínez, 2020). A consumer might find themselves at a moment where educational efforts lead them into the path of becoming sophisticated, thereby bringing additional consequences, such as higher levels of engagement and increased levels of loyalty in some cases (Bell et al , 2017).…”

“…An enhanced level of engagement leads to customer loyalty, where a loyal customer base is likely to be an asset for a business (Higgins and Scholer, 2009; Hollebeek et al , 2016). A business that creates a base of more engaged customers, when recognizing firm efforts to sell better products, might encounter a consumer who is willing to pay as per that improved value (Sánchez and Martínez, 2020; Tsakiridou et al , 2009). When consumers have a high knowledge regarding competing brands within a market, a phenomenon known as informational product differentiation may occur, which likely creates additional barriers for new entrants to that market (Bagwell, 1990).…”