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Article

Influence of Virtual CSR Co-Creation on the Purchase Intention of Green Products under the Heterogeneity of Experience Value

by
Cheng-Wen Sun
1,
Bojan Obrenovic
2,3,* and
Hai-Ting Li
1,*
1
School of Economics and Management, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
2
Department of Management, Entrepreneurship and Digital Transformation, Zagreb School of Economics and Management, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
3
Luxembourg School of Business, 2453 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13617; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013617
Submission received: 28 September 2022 / Revised: 14 October 2022 / Accepted: 19 October 2022 / Published: 20 October 2022
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Abstract

:
Virtual CSR co-creation activities have become effective strategic tools for enterprises to promote green consumption. The research objective of the current study is to find out whether the experience value acquired by users in the process of virtual CSR co-creation leads to pro-social behavior, namely, the willingness to purchase green products. This empirical study introduces a moderated mediation effect model with virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal as independent variables. Environmental involvement was introduced as a moderator in the research model, whereas the virtual community identity was introduced as a mediator. A scenario simulation experiment was conducted to explore the mechanism of the virtual CSR co-creation on customers’ green product purchase intention. The results indicate that the virtual CSR co-creation promoted the customers’ green product purchase intention. The virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal have an interactive effect on green product purchase intention. Environmental involvement plays a moderating role in the interactive effect. The virtual community identity partially mediates this interactive effect, thus impacting consumers’ green products purchase intentions indirectly. The research findings provide a new practical path for enterprises to develop target strategies to promote green consumption.

1. Introduction

With the wide development of online social media technology, corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are no longer performed exclusively by enterprises [1]. The business ecosystem has gradually transformed into a multi-stakeholder community. We are witnessing the transition from the traditional “good-money” charity model to a new “interactive” co-creation model [2]. Online social media platforms provided a convenient way for companies to implement social responsibility and greatly stimulate consumer interaction in CSR [3]. Green products are products with green attributes or associations, such as saving energy, protecting the environment, being harmless, and being healthy [4]. In 2016, Alibaba’s Alipay platform launched a carbon account campaign, which was designed as a game-based application, and users accumulated virtual energy to plant green vegetation by walking, traveling using public transportation and the subway, paying bills online, and buying tickets online. According to the statistics of “Ant Forest”, as of August 2021, the virtual community has over 613 million users, and the number of trees planted and maintained exceeds 326 million cumulatively (“Ant Forest”-baike.baidu.com). The “Ant Forest” brand community (AFBC) adopts the “Internet + public welfare” cause-related marketing model to successfully promote user interaction in CSR activities, which is known as “virtual CSR co-creation”. Virtual CSR co-creation is a product of traditional CSR with value co-creation and social media, whereby enterprises use online community platforms to attract multiple stakeholders to interact with CSR activities [5].
Currently, most studies on virtual CSR co-creation have explored consumer responses on consumer and organizational levels. Some focused on the impact of individual social responsibility and social well-being from the social perspective [5,6]. However, few have investigated the impact of virtual CSR co-creation on green product purchase intentions from a social perspective. Furthermore, the significant drawback of the existing studies is that they failed to account for the mediation roles of individual attribute characteristics, consumer environmental cognition, and community identity. According to moral reinforcement theory, the activation of the individual’s moral identity will reinforce the experience of the individual as a “moral person” and lead to more ethical future behavior [7]. Despite this interest, no one to the best of our knowledge has empirically studied the effect of virtual CSR co-creation on the decisions to buy green products on a broader scale using indicators such as self-construal, virtual community identity, and environmental involvement.
The research objective of the current study is to find out whether the experience value acquired by users in the process of virtual CSR co-creation leads to pro-social behavior, namely, the willingness to purchase green products. Correspondingly, we aim to examine whether there will be differences in users’ willingness to purchase a green product under different virtual CSR co-creating experience values. We account for the fact that individual purchase decisions tend to be different due to the differentiation of individual self-construal. We assume that, compared to independent self-constructed individuals, interdependent self-constructed individuals pay more attention to the consistency between themselves and the social environment. They are more likely to consider societal norms in the decision-making process, and more inclined to exhibit pro-social behaviors [8]. The study aims to identify the association between virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal. Within our framework, we seek to determine whether, considering the cognitive differences in an individual’s environmental involvement, there will be conflicts between virtual CSR co-creation and self-construction consistency that could interfere with consumers’ willingness to purchase green products. Based on the established criteria, we constructed a moderated mediation effect model with virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal as independent variables, virtual community identity as mediating variables, and environmental involvement as regulated variables. We undertook empirically analyzing the effects of virtual CSR co-creation on green product purchase intention and its “black box” mechanism. We provided clarification of the relationship of self-construal, environmental involvement, and virtual community identity with virtual CSR co-creation on green product purchase intention.
The marginal contribution of this paper is adding to the growing body of knowledge by pioneering an investigation of the impact of virtual CSR co-creation on green product purchase intention based on the perspective of heterogeneity of user co-creation experience value. The major contribution of the paper is a rendering of a systematic analysis of the internal mechanism of virtual CSR co-creation affecting green product purchase intention by combining the individuals’ characteristics, environmental cognition, and group identity. Finally, based on our empirical findings, we provide specific strategic suggestions that would enable enterprises to precisely design virtual CSR co-creation activities to promote green consumption from the virtual brand community level.

2. Literature Review

Many research studies have explored CSR, most focusing theoretically on the concept, definition, and types of virtual CSR co-creation [5,9,10,11]. Korschun and Du proposed the concept of virtual CSR dialogues. Authors put forward a framework for the corporate value production (community identity and corporate social responsibility expectation), identifying dialogue platform characteristics (media richness and self-presentation) and dialogue interaction characteristics (autonomy and exclusivity) as key factors influencing the production of virtual CSR dialogue value [5]. Some scholars assessed corporate and customer values following the users’ interaction in virtual CSR co-creation [12,13,14,15]. Liu and Deng explored the characteristics of CSR co-creation and built a theoretical framework for CSR co-creation based on consumer interaction (consumer engagement and consumer identity) to influence user stickiness and firm performance [16]. Black and Veloutsou further empirically tested the co-creation value for stakeholders and firms conducting virtual CSR co-creation outcomes on consumer identity [17]. Based on social presence theory, Fan et al. explored the impact and mechanism of consumers’ interaction in virtual CSR co-creation activities on virtual community identity [18]. They found that virtual CSR co-creation psychological needs (sense of competence, autonomy, and relatedness) positively affect consumer integration and consumer attitudes and reaffirmed that social reinforcement plays a moderating role in this process [2].
The virtual CSR co-creation consists of various types of value forms depending on the activity content and user interaction. Based on the interactive route of co-creation value, virtual CSR co-creation is divided into “structural route virtual CSR co-creation” and “experiential route virtual CSR co-creation” [15]. Depending on the users’ interactive experience in value co-creation, the virtual community co-created value is divided into “pragmatic value” and “hedonic value” [16]. Furthermore, based on the psychological needs in value co-creation, virtual CSR co-creation is classified as competence, autonomy, and relatedness [2].

3. Theoretical Background

3.1. The Moral Social Identity Theory and Self-Construals

Morality is based upon shared principles determining the distinction between right and wrong behavior. Moral social identity is often used to account for the significance of moral considerations when engaging in individual behaviors [19] and is considered the main driver in groups and communities [20]. When individuals consent to values of great relevance that guide their community [21], these virtues become a community moral norm for evaluating the proper group behavior [22]. Furthermore, intra-group dynamics are based on and regulated by the interaction between the desire for belonging and morally shared norms. We extend the existing research by accounting for how morally desired behavior is the result of self-categorization and social identification [23]. Abiding by the group’s moral standards is reinforced by the individual’s desire for consistency with the group-level conception of self [24,25]. Integrating the Social identity theory with the “moral self”, we obtain an account of why individuals behave in accordance with their identity meanings and are motivated to avoid inconsistency [26]. According to the Moral Identity Theory, when one greatly identifies with their moral standards, they will exhibit behavior that is consistent with their moral nature and judgment to avoid cognitive dissonance [27]. Independent and interdependent self-construal coincides significantly with the Social Identity Theory, emphasizing that individuals perceive themselves as individuals and community participants, and such identification influences the objective and strategies of their consumption [28]. Furthermore, community norms have a reinforcing effect on the group members’ behavioral choices [29]. According to moral reinforcement theory, individuals’ behaviors are dynamic and coherent, and moral identity is activated by previous moral behaviors, thus reinforcing the user’s self-assessment as a “moral person” and prompting their repetitive subsequent moral behaviors [7]. The stronger the experience value experienced by users in AFBC, the more likely it is to activate their self-concept of “moral person” and thus motivate individuals to engage in multiple green consumption behaviors in the future.

3.2. Identity Theory and Self-Congruity Theory

Community identity is a process of consumer self-categorization, an objective representation of the relationship between the community and consumers [30]. The emphasis is on the individual’s sense of belonging to the community. The virtual community identity is an extension of the community identity theory in the online environment. The community identity in the online virtual environment is an important link that connects the emotional value between users and the platform by recognizing and complying with the community norms and standards and regarding themselves as a member of the community [31]. Self-identity and social identity can significantly drive consumers’ purchasing decisions [32,33]. Such an extension of Identity Theory is provided by the Self-Congruity Theory, which states that products bought are used to reflect the consumer’s image of his/her personality [34]. Social identity was previously found to be a mediator through which cognitive social identity influences consumers’ purchase decisions through the attribution of emotional and social value [35].

4. Research Model Development

In the field of brand community value co-creation, depending on the different experience values of customer interaction in co-creation, there are mainly two-dimensional divisions of utilitarian/functional value and hedonic/affective value [36]. Three-dimensional divisions consist of functional value, emotional/entertainment value, and social value [37]. Four-dimensional divisions include image value, economic value, service value, and social value [38]. Although the classification criteria are different, implications between value dimensions are very similar, as can be seen from the coupling of hedonic/affective value and emotional value, and functional value and utilitarian value. Virtual CSR co-creation belongs to co-creation behavior under the category of brand community. Following the different experience values of customer interaction in co-creation, we classified the virtual CSR co-creation into utilitarian value and hedonic value. The utilitarian value is the sum of the practical benefits and losses perceived by users interacting in virtual CSR co-creation activities. Namely, it is the assessment of whether the products or services provided by the company meet the functional or instrumental expectations and needs of users. The hedonic value emphasizes the emotional or recreational satisfaction gained from the user’s interaction in value co-creation, which mainly comes from the spiritual or psychological enjoyment brought to the user by the product or service. Studies are carried out based on the above classification.

4.1. The Direct Effect of Virtual CSR Co-Creation

Pro-social behavior is an altruistic social behavior hinging on sharing, donating, helping, and comforting. Individual engagement for the benefit of others is provided voluntarily and can be considered a positive behavioral tendency [39]. Green products are a typical representative of pro-social products. Considering their purchase and consumption can reduce the damage to the environment and the waste of resources, they come at high social value [40]. Therefore, we selected green product purchase intention as a manifestation of pro-social behavior to carry out this research.
In the studies of antecedent influences promoting green consumption, scholars have focused more on consumers’ intrinsic characteristics and external contexts. In terms of internal characteristics, early papers were centered on the analysis of individual characteristic differences, such as gender, age, income, education, religion, etc. Subsequent studies gradually introduced internal characteristic factors such as environmental values, green emotions, environmental attitudes, experience values, consumer innovation, impression management motivation, etc. [41,42,43,44,45]. When accounting for external contexts, scholars have studied green consumption based on group influence (reference groups, intergenerational influence) [46,47]; marketing contexts, such as advertising, commodity prices, and promotional strategies [48,49,50]; and social dimensions, including social norms and social support [51]. At present, no research has been found to explore the effect of virtual CSR co-creation on the purchase intention of green products from the virtual community level. Virtual CSR co-creation and green consumption are categorically moral and pro-social behaviors. CSR co-creation results from the interaction between the service system, i.e., the company and technology, and diverse stakeholders, namely service providers and service users, wherein different actors interact in the value-creation process to encourage the generation of value-in-use. In the process of value co-creation, users draw both utilities from system use and hedonic benefits. Therefore, value is generated by joint actions and processes among firms and consumers. Value creation occurs in a “relatively self-contained, self-adjusting system of mostly loosely coupled social and economic (resource integrating) actors connected by shared institutional logics and mutual value creation” [52]. As such, green product CSR co-creation processes reflect individuals’ motivation to benefit the environment and generate social values. According to moral reinforcement theory, individuals’ behaviors are dynamic and coherent, and the moral identity is activated by previous moral behaviors, thus reinforcing the user’s self-assessment as a “moral person” and prompting their repetitive subsequent moral behaviors [7]. As green consumption is a globally relevant challenge, CSR co-creation is a social cause associated with consumers’ lifestyles, encompassing both attitudes and values. Green product CSR co-creation is, as mentioned before, a prosocial behavior type, and behavior results from purchasing and consumption motives and values. Companies with green product CSR offer value propositions to users, and users have specific individual goals and values driving their behavior. Purchase and consumption are based on ethical hedonic or utilitarian reasoning. Utilitarian value is a task-related fulfillment of needs based on a judgment of rationality, functionality, and ethical benefits [53]. Value can be co-created when the company succeeds in penetrating the consumers’ value creation sphere, thus directing consumers’ behavior. Intrinsically stimulated users draw satisfaction from performing the activity for the sake of the performance without concern for extrinsic reinforcement, e.g., based on hedonic value. Hedonic value can be based on both the pursuit of pleasant feelings and the avoidance of unpleasant feelings. Unlike the egoistic hedonic value, ethical hedonic consumption is a hedonistic pursuit of the good life, as the notion is associated with the tendency to avoid materialism and strive for alternative sources of pleasure by contributing to public welfare. The concept is related to the moral judgment of doing the right thing. Guilt was previously found to be a significant driver of ethical hedonism in ethically questionable situations. To avoid unpleasantness, consumers choose morally acceptable behavior as it leads to an anticipated hedonic experience that is positively related to moral dimension and benefits. According to Valkonen et al., when users observe the utilitarian value being attained, hedonic values prevail and further propel the purchasing behavior [54]. The stronger the experience value experienced by users in co-creation activities, the more likely it is to activate their self-concept of a “moral person” and thus motivate individuals to engage in multiple green consumption behaviors in the future. From this, we infer that, in virtual brand communities, the stronger the experience value gained from users’ interaction in CSR co-creation, the more likely it is to promote individuals’ willingness to purchase green products. Accordingly, the following hypotheses are proposed.
Hypothesis 1 (H1).
Virtual CSR co-creation positively influences green product purchase intention.
Hypothesis 1a (H1a).
Utilitarian value-based virtual CSR co-creation positively influences the willingness to purchase green products.
Hypothesis 1b (H1b).
Hedonic value-based virtual CSR co-creation positively influences green product purchase intention.

4.2. The Interacting Effect of Self-Construal and Virtual CSR Co-Creation

Self-construal was originally applied to psychology. Markus and Kitayama defined it as “how individuals perceive themselves in relation to their external environment” [55]. According to the individual’s internal distinguishing characteristics, self-construal is divided into independent self-construal, which emphasizes unique attributes and characteristics that distinguish the individual from others and highlights the individual’s ability to self-express, and interdependent self-construal, based on consistency with the external environment and willingness to respect organizational and community interests [55]. In practice, individual self-construal is influenced by the mainstream culture and external contexts, thus we will measure it according to these determinants, respectively.
On the influence of self-construal on virtual CSR co-creation and green marketing, prior researchers have determined that the interaction path of virtual CSR co-creation and individual self-construal interact with consumer identity, and individuals with independent self-construal prefer the experiential path of virtual CSR co-creation activities while interdependent self-construal individuals generate higher identity levels with virtual CSR co-creation activities in the structural path [15]. Few scholars explored consumers’ willingness to purchase green products under different individual self-construal characteristics arising from rational and emotional appeals. Their results showed that independent self-construal individuals were more sensitive to emotional appeals in advertising appeals, while interdependent self-construal individuals were more willing to purchase green products when provided with rational appeals [56]. This shows that individuals with different self-construal characteristics have a different cognitive focus on experience value. Independent self-construal individuals pay more attention to emotions and feelings and how they relate to their identity. Such consideration results in more emotional behavior. Furthermore, independent self-construal individuals tend to pursue hedonic values in virtual CSR co-creation. Contrary to the aforementioned, interdependent self-construal individuals are more easily influenced by the external environment, and their goal is to gain social recognition and maintain their social image. Thus, their behavior is more rational and pro-social, and they tend to pursue utilitarian values in virtual CSR co-creation. Therefore, we inferred that interdependent self-construal individuals have a higher constant level of consistency with utilitarian values of virtual CSR co-creation, while independent self-construal individuals have a higher consistent level of hedonic values in virtual CSR co-creation. Thus, we proposed the following hypothesis.
Hypothesis 2 (H2).
Self-construal and virtual CSR co-creation interaction have a positive effect on green product purchase intention.
Hypothesis 2a (H2a).
The individuals with interdependent self-construal on the utilitarian value of virtual CSR co-creation have higher green product purchase intentions.
Hypothesis 2b (H2b).
The individuals with independent self-construal on the hedonic value of virtual CSR co-creation have higher green product purchase intentions.

4.3. The Moderating Effect of Environmental Involvement

Environmental involvement is an index reflecting the degree of an individual’s perception of the relevance of environmental issues to their own well-being. In general, individuals with low environmental involvement are indifferent to environmental issues, while individuals with high environmental involvement usually pay more attention to environmental protection behaviors [57]. Pang et al. concluded that environmental involvement has a positive effect on the willingness to purchase green products [58]. Subsequently, scholars have explored the moderating role of different types and extent of involvement. Wang et al. concluded that green environmental involvement moderated the green emotional appeal on green consumption behavior significantly, and individuals with high green involvement were more inclined to engage in green consumption behavior [59]. Mao et al. proposed that environmental involvement moderated the interactive effect of advertising appeals (rational appeals vs. emotional appeals) and self-construal (independent self-construal vs. interdependent self-construal) on green product purchase intentions [56]. However, their findings showed that the interactive effect of advertising appeals and self-construal on green product purchase intentions was not significant for individuals with high environmental involvement. Thus, we concluded that environmental involvement is an intrinsic factor in changing consumers’ cognitive attitudes and behaviors, as self-construal is. For individuals with high environmental involvement, we posit that they are more concerned about environmental issues, more willing and motivated to actively improve the environment, and implement efforts into environmental protection behaviors. Furthermore, they are more willing to participate in virtual CSR co-creation to promote green consumption, and their willingness to purchase green products is not affected by differences in self-construal characteristics. For individuals with low environmental involvement, we theorize that they will have less environmental knowledge, and lack environmental awareness and intrinsic motivation to engage in green consumption behavior. Their willingness to purchase green products is influenced by their self-construal attributes and interaction with virtual CSR co-creation. Accordingly, we proposed the following hypotheses.
Hypothesis 3 (H3).
Environmental involvement moderates the interaction of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal relationship with the willingness to purchase green products.
Hypothesis 3a (H3a).
The interaction of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intention is not significant for consumers with high environmental involvement.
Hypothesis 3b (H3b).
The interaction of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intention is significant for consumers with low environmental involvement.

4.4. The Mediating Effect of Virtual Community Identity

Community identity is a process of consumer self-categorization, an objective representation of the relationship between the community and consumers [30]. The emphasis is on the individual’s sense of belonging to the community. The virtual community identity is an extension of the community identity theory in the online environment. Community identity in the online virtual environment is an important link that connects the emotional value between users and the platform by recognizing and complying with the community norms and standards and regarding themselves as a member of the community [31]. The user’s interaction with the virtual community will enhance their own identity and sense of community membership. The sense of belonging will promote users’ behaviors, such as enhancing users’ loyalty to the brand community, thus stimulating users’ favorable feelings and knowledge toward the brand community. This, in turn, will influence consumers’ purchase behavior [60]. Social identity was previously found to be a mediator through which cognitive social identity influences consumers’ purchase decisions through the attribution of emotional and social value [35].
Based on utility-satisfaction theory and social identity theory, Huang et al. undertook a study on customer experience value and response in brand communities. The study found that the experience value aroused in customers interacting in MicroBlog promotes corporate identity and purchase intentions by influencing community identity [61]. The implication is clearly that virtual community identity is an important factor influencing consumer purchase behavior.
According to the previous hypothesis deduction, the individuals with independent self-construal are more interested in the virtual CSR co-creation of hedonic value, while the individuals with interdependent self-construal are more sensitive to the virtual CSR co-creation of utilitarian value. When the individual’s self-construal is more consistent with the experience value, the individual feels that the co-creation activities are more meaningful, which influences the individual’s subjective judgment and cognitive attitude toward their behaviors. Therefore, for the independent self-construal individuals, the higher the level of perceived value experienced in hedonic virtual CSR co-creation, the more positive individual responses will be to the virtual CSR co-creation, and the greater the identification with the concept and value of the virtual community. This, in turn, increases consumers’ willingness to purchase green products. Similarly, individuals with interdependent self-construal respond more positively to virtual community identity and green product purchase intention in utilitarian virtual CSR co-creation. For this reason, we proposed the following hypothesis.
Hypothesis 4 (H4).
Virtual community identity mediates the interaction between virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intentions.
Based on the above theoretical derivation and research hypotheses, we construct a conceptual model of virtual CSR co-creation influencing consumers’ purchase willingness to green products under the consideration of co-creation value, self-construal, environmental involvement, and virtual community identity, as shown in Figure 1.

5. Experimental Design and Test

5.1. Pretesting

To improve the accuracy of the experiments, we carried out pre-experiments concerning the research content. Firstly, suitable subjects were selected to avoid incongruity in the experimental results Next, in-depth interviews were conducted and questionnaires were distributed. The combined approach was used to ensure the fitness of subjects and experimental products; thirdly, we tested the experimental materials to verify whether the virtual CSR co-creation situations were manipulated successfully.

5.1.1. Subject Selection

This experiment was conducted at AFBC and required subjects to have a certain degree of community experience. Twenty subjects were randomly selected for understanding their participation at AFBC. Using semi-structured interviews, respondents were asked about the types of green products they bought recently. We randomly selected 10 subjects from social youth groups and social elderly consumer groups and interviewed them via phone or face-to-face. Before the formal interview, the subjects had the meaning of virtual CSR co-creation and green products explained to them, then they were asked questions such as “the average time you visit AFBC every day,” and “the time you have been a member of AFBC” to learn more about their participation. Finally, the participants were asked to list the most common green products they had purchased or used lately. The results of the interview’s statistical test showed that, in terms of the frequency and duration of participation in virtual CSR co-creation, social youth groups scored significantly higher than the elderly, and their familiarity with green products also differed. The social elderly consumer groups are more inclined to use products such as new energy cars, green home appliances, eco-friendly shopping bags, and laundry detergent, while the social youth groups preferred green products such as eco-friendly laundry detergent, energy-saving desk lamps, green handbags, and eco-paper. To ensure that the subjects had a good experience of AFBC’s virtual CSR co-creation activities, the social youth groups proved to be more viable subjects.

5.1.2. Design of Material and Manipulation Checks

In the creation of experimental materials for virtual CSR co-creation, we consulted Liu and Deng’s [15] study of virtual CSR co-creation interactive routes. We applied the concept to draw upon the experience values of virtual CSR co-creation and divided them into utilitarian value materials and hedonic value materials. The content of the experimental materials used for the manipulation tests is provided in Table 1 below, in which the utilitarian value manipulation checks mainly include three items and the hedonic value manipulation checks include four items.

5.1.3. Pretesting Results

We recruited another 30 subjects for the pretesting, and they were randomly assigned to two experimental studies for manipulation checks. The results of the paired-sample T-test showed that the experimental materials had been manipulated successfully, with significant experimental differences varying across situations. As listed in Table 2 below, the results of the hedonic value experimental group show that user hedonic perception was significantly stronger than utilitarian perception (Mean hedonic = 5.46, Mean utilitarian = 3.83, t(14) = −9.16, p < 0.001). In the utilitarian value experimental group, users’ utilitarian perceptions were significantly stronger than hedonic perceptions (Mean utilitarian = 5.83, Mean hedonic = 3.81, t(14) = 13.79, p < 0.001). The findings indicate that virtual CSR co-creation was manipulated successfully.

5.2. Experiment 1: Direct Effect Text

5.2.1. Experimental Design Process

We conducted a between-subjects one-mode scenario-simulation experiment with three levels (a utilitarian value group, a hedonic value group, and a control group). The questionnaire was distributed on online social media platforms. A screening question was set at the beginning of the questionnaire, asking if the participant had participated in the “Ant Forest” low-carbon walk activities. If the participant chose “yes”, he or she would be required to continue answering the subsequent questions, while for individual participants whose answer to the first question was negative, the questionnaire would be closed. We distributed one hundred and forty questionnaires online and obtained one hundred and twelve valid questionnaires, with an effective rate of 80%. Among them, men accounted for 40.2%, mainly aged 21–35 years old, student groups accounted for 41.5%, and corporate personnel accounted for 32.7%. The manipulation of virtual CSR co-creation was similar to the pretesting. The purchase situation design included the “natural laundry detergent” as the experiment product, and the subjects were asked to imagine that they want to buy a detergent for daily needs. AFBC has promoted a green, pollution-free, bio-degradable “natural laundry detergent” with a low foaming, biodegradable, phosphorus-free formula. If you buy this detergent through AFBC, you can obtain green energy. The measurement of green product purchase intention was based on the scales of Ku et al.’s [62] study, and it included three items: “My willingness to buy this natural laundry detergent is:” “The likelihood of purchasing this natural laundry detergent is:” “The probability that I would consider to buy this product is:”. All items in the study were rated on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree→7 = strongly agree). Finally, subjects were asked to disclose their personal information and the conditions of subjects’ participation in virtual CSR co-creation activities.

5.2.2. Analysis of Results

According to the results of virtual CSR co-creation manipulation checks, subjects in the utilitarian value group are more likely to feel the convenience and efficiency of performing virtual CSR (Mean utilitarian = 6.05, Mean hedonic = 3.77, t(36) = −26.48, p < 0.001). Subjects in the hedonic value group are more likely to feel happiness and enjoyment by performing virtual CSR (Mean utilitarian = 3.86, Mean hedonic = 5.47, t(35) = −8.45, p < 0.001). Our findings indicate the success of the virtual CSR co-creation manipulation.
To examine the influence of virtual CSR co-creation on customers’ green purchase intention, we conducted a regression analysis of the experience value of virtual CSR co-creation in each dimension. The green purchase intention was an independent variable (Cronbach’s α = 0.942) and the outcome variable was introduced into the regression equation (OLS). The regression results (Table 3) showed that the utilitarian value (Cronbach’s α = 0.903) affects consumers’ green purchase intention significantly: B =0.68, t = 3.76, p < 0.001; the hedonic value (Cronbach’s α = 0.884) also affects consumers’ green purchase intention significantly: B =0.77, t = 3.89, p < 0.001. The results indicated that virtual CSR co-creation has a positive effect on green consumption. Therefore, H1, H1a, and H1b are accepted.

5.3. Experiment 2: The Interactive and Moderating Effect Test

The purpose of Experiment 2 was to explore the moderating effect of environmental involvement on the interactive effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intention.

5.3.1. Experimental Design Process

According to the research objective, the study was designed as a two-mode (virtual CSR co-creation: Utilitarian value vs. hedonic value) × 2 (self-construal: Independent self-construal vs. interdependent self-construal). We distributed 240 online questionnaires among AFBC users and obtained 222 valid questionnaires. In total, 44.1% of the respondents are male, aged mainly between 21 and 35 years old, accounting for 86.9%, and the student population accounts for 45%.
In the design of the experimental materials of self-construal, we referenced the heroic character stories used by Trafimow et al. [63]. The manipulation checks of self-construal were designed according to Aaker and Lee’s [64] scale. As can be observed from Table 4 below, the experimental materials and manipulation check of virtual CSR co-creation were the same as in Experiment 1. The measurement of green product purchase intention is consistent with Experiment 1. The measurement of environmental involvement was referred to using the scales of Schuhwerk and Lefkoff-Hagius [65], including four items: “I am more concerned about environmental issues”, “Environmental conditions will affect my life”, “I am willing to make sacrifices to protect the environment”, and “My behavior will have an impact on the environment”.

5.3.2. Analysis of Results

According to the results of self-construal and virtual CSR co-creation manipulation checks, the subjects in the independent self-construal group were more inclined to express themselves personally (Mean independent = 4.97, Mean interdependent = 1.79, t(110) = −20.37, p < 0.001). The subjects in the interdependent self-construal group were more likely to maintain good relationships with the external environment (Mean interdependent = 5.98, Mean independent = 1.86, t(110) = −34.19, p < 0.001). Our results indicate that the self-construal manipulation was successful. In keeping with our assumptions, the hedonic value group was more likely to feel enjoyment (Mean hedonic = 5.92, Mean utilitarian = 2.35, t(110) = 33.56, p < 0.001). The subjects in the utilitarian value group were more likely to feel convenience and efficiency (Mean utilitarian = 5.57, Mean hedonic = 2.38, t(110) = 23.80, p < 0.001). The manipulation checks were successful.
Next, we examined the interaction effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intention. The results of the two-way ANOVA with independent variables of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal and outcome purchase intention (Cronbach’s α = 0.840) demonstrated (as can be observed from Table 5) that the interaction effect between virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal is significant (F(1, 218) = 117.05, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the simple effect analysis showed that interdependent self-construal subjects were more willing to purchase green products under the utilitarian value of virtual CSR co-creation (Mean hedonic = 3.98, Mean utilitarian = 5.41, p < 0.001), supporting H2. Compared to utilitarian value, the subjects with independent self-construal were more willing to purchase green products under the hedonic value virtual CSR co-creation (Mean hedonic = 4.87, Mean utilitarian = 3.16, p < 0.001), supporting H2b. Therefore, H2 is accepted.
To test the moderating effect of environmental involvement (Cronbach’s α = 0.885), subjects were categorized into high and low environmental involvement groups according to the left and right standard deviation (M ± 1SD) of the Mean of environmental involvement. Furthermore, we decided to use virtual CSR co-creation, self-construal, and environmental involvement groups (high and low) as independent variables, and purchase intention was assigned as the outcome variable in the three-way ANOVA analysis. The results show that the interaction item between virtual CSR co-creation, self-construal, and environmental involvement groups (high and low) was significant (F(1, 214) = 38.43, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the simple effect test showed that for individuals with high environmental involvement and interdependent self-construal, green product purchase intention has no significant difference in the hedonic and utilitarian groups (Mean hedonic = 5.46, Mean utilitarian = 5.41, F = 0.047, p = 0.829 > 0.1). Moreover, for individuals with high environmental involvement and independent self-construal, the willingness to purchase green products also held no significant difference among the hedonic group and utilitarian group (Mean hedonic = 5.31, Mean utilitarian = 5.10, F = 0.395, p = 0.530 > 0.1), as seen in Figure 2a. In contrast, for individuals with low environmental involvement and independent self-construal, green product purchase intention differs significantly across different experience value groups (Mean hedonic = 4.39, Mean utilitarian = 2.75, F = 62.252, p < 0.001). For individuals with low environmental involvement and interdependent self-construal, purchase intention differed significantly in the hedonic and utilitarian groups (Mean hedonic = 3.33, Mean utilitarian = 5.27, F = 53.441, p < 0.001), as seen in Figure 2b. Therefore, the interactive effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intention was not significant with high environmental involvement. In contrast, the interactive effect was significant with low environmental involvement. Hence, H3, H3a, and H3b were supported.

5.4. Experiment 3: The Interactive and Mediating Effect Test

We measured individuals’ chronic self-construal to verify the interactive effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on customers’ green product purchase intention. Furthermore, we examined the mediation effect of virtual community identity on the interactive effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on customers’ green product purchase intentions.

5.4.1. Experimental Design Process

Experiment 3 was conducted employing between-subjects one-mode and two-level scenario simulation experiments (utilitarian value group vs. hedonic value group). We obtained 106 valid questionnaires (including 28.3% males; 47.8% students; 38.5% enterprise groups; aged mainly 21–35 years old) through online social media platforms. The questionnaire contents consisted of the following: The experimental materials and manipulation checks of virtual CSR co-creation were the same as in Experiment 2. The measurement of chronic self-construal was modified, and we used mature scales [66] (Table 6).
Holland et al. [67] proposed a self-construal indices method in which we calculated the average of each type of self-construal, standardized it, and subtracted the independent self-construal index score from the interdependent self-construal index score. The self-construal index increases with the interdependent self-construal of the individuals. The experimental materials and manipulation checks of green consumption corresponded to those used in Experiment 2. The measurement of virtual community identity was drawn from the scales (Table 6) of Wang and Ma [68] and combined with the actual situation.

5.4.2. Result Analysis

The results of virtual CSR co-creation manipulation checks indicate that for the subjects in the hedonic value group, the hedonic experience was stronger than for those pertaining to utilitarian experience (Mean hedonic = 5.58, Mean utilitarian = 3.35, t(53) = 12.91, p < 0.001). For the subjects in the utilitarian value group, utilitarian perceptions were stronger than hedonic perceptions (Mean utilitarian = 5.63, Mean hedonic = 3.32, t(51) = 14.73, p < 0.001), indicating the virtual CSR co-creation manipulation was successful.
First, we virtualized the virtual CSR co-creation and centralized the self-construction index. Subsequently, we used self-construction, virtual CSR co-creation, and the interaction of the two as independent variables, and green product purchase intention (Cronbach’s α = 0.968) as the dependent variable. We carried out regression analysis (OLS) and verified whether there was an interaction effect. The results (as can be observed from Table 7) show that the interactive items between virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal were significant (B = −1.862, p < 0.001), indicating that the interactive effect was valid. H2 has been verified.
To test the mediating effect of virtual community identity, we referred to Baron and Kenny’s [69] hierarchical regression method. First, the virtual CSR co-creation, self-construal, and their interactive terms were taken as independent variables, and green product purchase intention was assigned as the outcome variable in the regression analysis. The results (as can be observed from Table 8) show that the interactive items of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal had a significant effect on customs’ green product purchase intention (β = −1.86, p < 0.001). Second, we included the virtual CSR co-creation, self-construal, and their interactive terms as independent variables, and virtual community identity as the outcome variable in the regression analysis. The results showed that the interactive items of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal had a significant effect on virtual community identity (Cronbach’s α = 0.959) (β = −1.84, p < 0.001). Finally, we included the virtual community identity, virtual CSR co-creation, self-construal, and their interactive terms as independent variables, and green product purchase intention as the outcome variable in the regression analysis. The results show that virtual community identity had a positive influence on green product purchase intention (β = 0.79, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the interactive item between virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal in Model 3 is still significant, indicating that virtual community identity plays a partial mediating role in the interactive effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on customers’ green product purchase intention. Therefore, we accept H4.
Referring to Preacher and Hayes’s [70] bootstrap mediation effect test method, we set out to test the mediation effect again on a sample of 5000 respondents. The results showed that the interactive item of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal has a significant effect on virtual community identity (BootLLCI = −1.9903, BootULCI = −1.6934). The path of the effect of virtual community identity on purchase intention is also significant (BootLLCI = 0.6900, BootULCI = 0.9033), indicating that virtual community identity has a mediation effect in the interactive effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on customers’ green product purchase intention. Meanwhile, the interactive item between virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intention is also significant (BootLLCI = −0.6066, BootULCI = −1.819). In summary, virtual community identity mediated the interaction effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intention partially, and H4 was verified again.
H1: Virtual CSR co-creation positively influences green product purchase intention—accepted.
H1a: Utilitarian value-based virtual CSR co-creation positively influences the willingness to purchase green products—accepted.
H1b: Hedonic value-based virtual CSR co-creation positively influences green product purchase intention—accepted.
H2: Self-construal and virtual CSR co-creation interaction have a positive effect on green product purchase intention—accepted.
H2a: Individuals with interdependent self-construal on the utilitarian value of virtual CSR co-creation have higher green product purchase intentions—accepted.
H2b: Individuals with independent self-construal on hedonic value of virtual CSR co-creation have higher green product purchase intentions—accepted.
H3: Environmental involvement moderates the interaction of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal relationship with the willingness to purchase green products—accepted.
H3a: The interaction of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intention is not significant for consumers with high environmental involvement—accepted.
H3b: The interaction of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intention is significant for consumers with low environmental involvement—accepted.
H4: Virtual community identity mediates the interaction between virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intentions—accepted.

6. Discussion and Conclusions

6.1. Discussion

Based on the moral reinforcement theory and community identity theory, we used the “Ant Forest” as an example of a virtual CSR co-creation activity to explore the influence of virtual CSR co-creation on green product purchase intention and mechanisms. The results showed that virtual CSR co-creation promoted consumers’ green product purchase intention. According to our findings, the stronger the experience value in virtual CSR co-creation, the higher consumers’ green product purchase intention. This result is in line with Hwang and Lee [71] and Ahn and Lee [72]. Virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal have an interactive effect on green product purchase intention, and individuals with independent self-construal are more likely to engage in green consumption in hedonic virtual CSR co-creation while individuals with interdependent self-construal are more likely to purchase green products in utilitarian virtual CSR co-creation activities. Our findings corroborate the results of Arnocky et al. [73] and Oyserman [28]. Environmental involvement as an intrinsic factor can change individuals’ cognition such as self-construal. Thus, environmental involvement plays a moderating role in the interactive effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intention. Our results continue the line of research generated by Ho, Ding, and Lii [74]. For individuals with high environmental involvement that are motivated to engage in environmentally beneficial behaviors, the interactive effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal was not significant. The interactive effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal can indirectly influence green product purchase intention through virtual community identity. Thus, virtual community identity has a partly mediating transmission mechanism in this interactive effect. Hypothesis 4, stating that virtual community identity mediates the interaction between virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal on green product purchase intentions, is accepted. This corroborates the results of McGowan et al. [35] and Huang et al. [60].

6.2. Conclusions

By exploring the relationship between virtual CSR co-creation and green product purchase willingness, this study expanded our knowledge of the effectiveness of promoting consumers’ green consumption in the virtual brand community. Our results revealed that boundary conditions (the moderating role of environmental involvement) and mediating mechanisms (the mediating role of virtual community identity) of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal affect the green purchase intention. This study differs from previous research on virtual CSR co-creation influenced by consumer responses. To our knowledge, this paper is the first of its kind to have introduced green product purchase intention as an expression of individual pro-social behavior and explored the beneficial value of virtual CSR co-creation at the social level. Our knowledge of the virtual CSR co-creation thus far had largely been based on very limited data. This paper sheds new light on the interaction between CSR and individual pro-social behaviors from the value co-creation and brand community level. The current study has validated relevant dimensions of virtual CSR co-creation from the perspective of customer experience value.

6.3. Theoretical Implications

The paper’s main theoretical contribution is thus the development of an integrative model of the value co-creation process in green product purchasing and the antecedent variables that contribute to generating sustainable co-creation behavior. The innovation exists in the novel approach to studying the virtual CSR co-creation of the experience value. The prior classification was mainly based on the co-creation value content, consumer interaction style, individual psychological satisfaction, and performance of co-creation functions. However, we believe that we have discovered a more effective framework that combines individual internal factors such as consumer characteristics and environmental perceptions to explore the effectiveness of virtual CSR co-creation activities. Further, we managed to explain the mechanism of the virtual CSR co-creation that promotes the willingness to purchase green products from the perspective of community identity. While the insights are valuable, the existing studies mainly explained the mechanism of the virtual CSR co-creation effect on consumer response in terms of individual psychological states (psychological ownership, mindstream experience, sense of social presence, CSR perception) and attitudinal perceptions (consumer integration, consumer identification). The characteristics of the interaction between CSR, self-construal, and shared identity have not been dealt with in depth. To fill the gap, the study introduced virtual community identity as a mediating variable to examine the mediating effect of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal interaction on green product purchase intention. The findings of the study provide a new perspective for exploring the internal mechanisms of virtual CSR co-creation and self-construction influencing green consumption. Our specific data are fundamental to developing an effective and sustainable virtual CSR co-creation framework with regard to green marketing theory.

6.4. Practical Implications

(1) Companies could take the advantage of online brand communities in the form of virtual CSR co-creation to guide consumers to participate in green consumption. It can not only effectively reduce the publicity cost of green advertising, but also improve consumers’ enthusiasm for green consumption and complete value co-creation. (2) Considering the differences in individuals’ self-construal to design virtual CSR co-creation activities, using big data to analyze the characteristics of consumers, summarize the attributes of different consumers, and implement the appropriate virtual CSR co-creation activities for individuals with different self-construal types can enhance the positive effect on green consumption. (3) Strengthening the green innovation of virtual CSR co-creation activities, enterprises should connect virtual CSR co-creation activities with environmental protection elements, establish green, healthy and ecological corporate values, actively promote environmental issues and environmental knowledge to the users, cultivate and enhance users’ environmental involvement, and guide users to interact in virtual CSR co-creation to promote green consumption. (4) In terms of enhancing the virtual community identity for consumers, virtual community identity is a crucial path that influences users to interact in virtual CSR co-creation for green consumption. Companies should not only recognize the importance of enhancing the value of brand communities but also pay attention to building word-of-mouth and the reputation of brand communities to win users’ recognition of communities, which can enhance users’ trust in the products and services of the communities and ultimately promote individuals to make purchases.

6.5. Limitations and Future Research Directions

The study only used the “Ant Forest” co-creation project as a typical representative of virtual CSR co-creation activities, and the external validity of its findings needs to be further confirmed. In the future, the hypotheses need to be tested for virtual CSR co-creation activities in other brand communities. In addition, the classification dimension of virtual CSR co-creation only used the utilitarian value and hedonic value of customer experience value, which fails to cover all perceptions of customer experience value in value co-creation. In the future, it is also recommended to focus on other dimensions of customer experience value in value co-creation and even consider the mixed experience value of utilitarian and hedonic. Finally, the study considers the effectiveness of virtual CSR co-creation activities mainly at the level of internal individual factors such as consumer attribute characteristics, environmental perceptions, and community identity. The impact of external contextual factors such as social media platform features and brand community functions on virtual CSR co-creation activities should be considered in the future.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, C.-W.S. and B.O.; data curation, C.-W.S.; formal analysis, C.-W.S. and H.-T.L.; investigation, C.-W.S. and B.O.; methodology, C.-W.S. and H.-T.L.; project administration, C.-W.S. and B.O.; resources, C.-W.S. and H.-T.L.; writing—original draft, C.-W.S. and B.O.; writing—review and editing, C.-W.S., B.O. and H.-T.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by the Shandong Province Social Science Planning Project of China under (Grant No. 21CGLJ38).

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Yantai University (protocol code CJ110663 and date of approval: 2 February 2022).

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

Data are available upon request due to restrictions. The data presented in this study are available upon request to the corresponding author.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Sustainability 14 13617 g001 550
Figure 1. Research model of the study.
Figure 1. Research model of the study.
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Figure 2. Moderating effect of environmental involvement. (a); (b).
Figure 2. Moderating effect of environmental involvement. (a); (b).
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Table
Table 1. Experimental material and manipulation check measurement items.
Table 1. Experimental material and manipulation check measurement items.
Experimental MaterialManipulation of Test Items
Main ContentSource
Utilitarian valueAFBC encourages users to perform public service activities through a networked approach. By participating in low-carbon behaviors such as green travel, green consumption, paper and plastic reduction, and recycling every day, individuals can easily help others, protect the environment, and contribute to public welfare. It saves me both time and money. This approach to charity activities is a wise choice for me.Alipay launched the “Ant Forest” public welfare projectAFBC facilitates the performance of my public service activities.
AFBC saves me time and money while fulfilling my social responsibility.
This is a utilitarian and efficient way to perform public welfare activities through AFBC.
Hedonic valueAFBC encourages users to participate in charity through emotional connection. Log in to “Ant Forest” to collect green energy when bored. You can also interact with your friends while watering and planting green vegetation together, which strengthens emotional ties with friends while aiding in practicing environmental responsibility. This way of conducting charity activities is pleasant and relaxing.I feel happy to perform charity activities through AFBC.
Through AFBC performing activities I can relieve work-life stress and attain a sense of relaxation.
My need for belonging is fulfilled by meeting like-minded people through AFBC’s charitable activities.
When I feel bored I will come to AFBC to pass the time.
Source: Compiled by the author.
Table
Table 2. Pretesting material and manipulation checks.
Table 2. Pretesting material and manipulation checks.
T-ValueDegree of FreedomRelevance
−e.163 ***140.593
13.786 ***140.614
Note: *** represents a significance level of 1%.
Table
Table 3. Regression analysis results.
Table 3. Regression analysis results.
GroupBNon-Standardized CoefficientT-Value
Constants−1.7741.658−1.070
Hedonic value0.7730.1993.887 ***
Utilitarian value0.6830.1813.762 ***
Note: *** represents a significance level of 1%.
Table
Table 4. Self-construal material and manipulation items.
Table 4. Self-construal material and manipulation items.
VariablesMain ContentTest Items Source
Independent self-construal“Sostoras, a warrior in ancient Sumer, was largely responsible for the success of Sargon I in conquering all of Mesopotamia. As a result, he was rewarded with a small kingdom to rule. About 10 years later, Sargon 1 was conscripted warriors for a new war. Sostoras was obligated to send soldiers to aid Sargon 1. He had to decide who to enlist in command of the detachment. After thinking about it for a long time, Sostoras eventually decided on Tiglath, a talented general. This appointment had several advantages. Sostoras was able to indebt an excellent general. This would solidify Sostoras’s reign over his own dominion. In addition, the very fact of having a general such as Tiglath as his representative would greatly increase Sostoras’s prestige. Finally, sending his best general would most likely elicit gratefulness from Sargon I. Consequently, he might have gotten awarded by Sargon I”“Thinking only about yourself,” “Your thoughts on the situation were focused on you,” and “Your thoughts were focused on just you.”Trafimow et al. [63]; Aaker and Lee [64]
Interdependent self-construal“Sostoras, a warrior in ancient Sumer, was largely responsible for the success of Sargon I in conquering all of Mesopotamia. As a result, he was rewarded with a small kingdom to rule. About 10 years later, Sargon 1 was conscripting warriors for a new war. Sostoras was obligated to send a detachment of soldiers to aid Sargon 1. He had to decide who to elicit in command of the detachment. After thinking about it for a long time, Sostoras eventually decided on Tiglath who was a member of his family. This appointment had several advantages. Sostoras was able to demonstrate familial loyalty. He also managed to cement their loyalty to him. In addition, having Tiglath as the commander increased the power and prestige of the family. Finally, if Tiglath performed well, Sargon I would be indebted to the family.”“Thinking about yours and your family,” “Your thoughts on the situation were focused on your family,” and “Your thoughts on the situation were focused on you and your family.”Trafimow et al. [63]; Aaker and Lee [64]
Table
Table 5. Analysis of ANOVA results.
Table 5. Analysis of ANOVA results.
GroupDegree of FreedomMean SquareF
Self-construal125.20621.472 ***
Virtual CSR co-creation11.1350.967
Self-construal × Virtual CSR co-creation1137.407117.051 ***
Note: *** represents a significance level of 1%.
Table
Table 6. Self-construal and virtual community identity scales.
Table 6. Self-construal and virtual community identity scales.
Study VariablesSpecific Measurement ItemsScale Source
Self-construal (Independent) Speaking up during a class is not a problem for me
Having a lively imagination is important to me
I am the same person at home that I am at school
I prefer to be direct and forthright when dealing with people I’ve just met
I enjoy being unique and different from others in many respects
A personal identity independent of others is very important to me		Pan et al. [66]
Self-construal (Interdependent)It is important to me to respect decisions made by the group
I will sacrifice my self-interest for the benefit of the group I am in
I would offer my seat on a bus to my professor
I often have the feeling that my relationships with others are more important than my accomplishments
I need to maintain harmony within my group
My happiness depends on the happiness of those around me
I respect people who are modest about themselves
I have respect for the authority figures with whom I interact
I will stay in a group if they need me, even when I’m not happy with the group If my brother or sister fails, I feel responsible		Pan et al. [66]
Virtual Community IdentityAFBC gives me a sense of belonging and I am part of it
I have strong positive feelings about AFBC
I’m proud to be a member of AFBC		Wang & Ma [68]
Table
Table 7. Regression analysis results.
Table 7. Regression analysis results.
GroupBNon-Standardized CoefficientT-ValueSignificance
Constants−0.0760.114−0.6660.507
Virtual CSR Co-creation0.0720.0711.0020.319
Self-construal2.7800.11723.765 ***0.000
Self-construal × Virtual CSR co-creation−1.8620.072−25.837 ***0.000
Note: *** represents a significance level of 1%.
Table
Table 8. Regression analysis of virtual community identity.
Table 8. Regression analysis of virtual community identity.
Variable NameModel 1Model 2Model 3
BTBTBT
Virtual CSR Co-creation0.071.000.010.150.061.56
Self-construal2.78 ***23.762.71 ***22.310.62 ***3.88
Interactive item of virtual CSR co-creation and Self-construal−1.86 ***−25.84−1.84 ***−24.61−0.39 ***−3.68
Virtual community identity 0.80 ***14.82
Note: *** represents a significance level of 1%. Model 1 is a regression model with purchase intention as the outcome variable. Model 2 is a regression model with virtual community identity as the outcome variable, and Model 3 is a regression model with purchase intention as the outcome variable.
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Sun, C.-W.; Obrenovic, B.; Li, H.-T. Influence of Virtual CSR Co-Creation on the Purchase Intention of Green Products under the Heterogeneity of Experience Value. Sustainability 2022, 14, 13617. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013617

AMA Style

Sun C-W, Obrenovic B, Li H-T. Influence of Virtual CSR Co-Creation on the Purchase Intention of Green Products under the Heterogeneity of Experience Value. Sustainability. 2022; 14(20):13617. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013617

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sun, Cheng-Wen, Bojan Obrenovic, and Hai-Ting Li. 2022. "Influence of Virtual CSR Co-Creation on the Purchase Intention of Green Products under the Heterogeneity of Experience Value" Sustainability 14, no. 20: 13617. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013617

APA Style

Sun, C.-W., Obrenovic, B., & Li, H.-T. (2022). Influence of Virtual CSR Co-Creation on the Purchase Intention of Green Products under the Heterogeneity of Experience Value. Sustainability, 14(20), 13617. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013617

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