Personality factors as predictors of online consumer engagement: an empirical investigation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the relationship between consumer personality traits and consumer engagement (CE) in the online brand community (OBC) context. This study also examines the effect of CE on consumers’ ensuing purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach Using a survey incorporating the Big Five model of personality, 390 responses were collected from students who were members of at least one Facebook-based OBC. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings The results reveal that extraversion represents the strongest driver of CE in OBCs, followed by openness to experience, neuroticism and agreeableness. Conscientiousness was found to be negatively related to CE. The findings also indicate a positive association between CE and purchase intention. Practical implications This paper highlights the ways in which marketers can capitalize on consumer personality traits and develop corresponding strategies that will not only increase CE in OBCs, but also consumers’ ensuing purchase intent for specific offerings. Originality/value This research is among the first to demonstrate and empirically validate insight into the ways in which consumer personality traits drive CE in OBCs. This study, thus, adds to the rapidly developing research stream on CE by exposing and empirically validating an integrated set of influential consumer personality-based antecedents of CE, and examining key ensuing outcomes of CE.