Understanding Consumer Values: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods

Year 2025, Volume: 12 Issue: 2, 455 - 476, 30.06.2025

Adem Uysal

https://doi.org/10.30798/makuiibf.1477333

Abstract

This study aims to accomplish two goals: First, the analysis uses the means-end theory (MEC) to test a conceptual model that includes relevant variables, such as engagement, emotional value, functional value, attitude, and environmental consciousness established to comprehend how Turkish consumers evaluate non-auction-based C2C secondary marketplaces; second, in line with the variables, to reveal the views of Turkish users on these marketplaces through in-depth. A sequential exploratory mixed method design combining quantitative and qualitative parts is used in this study. The data in Study 1 acquired from 363 consumers via face-to-face surveys were analyzed using explanatory factor analysis, and the process model produced by Hayes tested the hypotheses—study 2 featured 20 in-depth interviews with C2C online secondary marketplace users. The findings reveal that the variable of consumer engagement partially mediated the relationship between functional value/emotional value and attitude toward platforms. Additionally, Environmental consciousness moderates the strength of the relationships between functional value/emotional value and attitude toward platforms mediated by consumer engagement. The results of Study 2 show that in addition to functional and emotional values, social and environmental values result from the consumer's evaluation of C2C online secondhand platforms. Moreover, consumer engagement, mainly associated with platform features, user comments, and seller profiles, leads to positive attitudes toward platforms. The study is original in that it uses a sequential explanatory mixed method approach to determine the thoughts of Turkish users about the online secondary marketplace in the relationship between consumer values dimension, consumer engagement, environmental consciousness, and attitudes.

Keywords

Consumer to Consumer , Consumer Engagement , Consumer Attitude , Consumer Value , Environmental Consciousness , Mixed Methods

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval for the study was obtained from the Muş Alparslan University Ethics Committee on February 6, 2024, with decision number 4/54. The author declares that the study was conducted in accordance with research and publication ethics. The author confirms that no part of the study was generated, either wholly or in part, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. The author declares that there are no financial conflicts of interest involving any institution, organization, or individual associated with this article. The author affirms that the entire research process was performed by the sole declared author of the study.

References

• Abdul-Ghani, E., Hyde, K. F., & Marshall, R. (2019). Conceptualising engagement in a consumer-to-consumer context. Australasian Marketing Journal, 27(1), 2–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ausmj.2018.06.004
• Akın, M. S. (2020). Çevrimiçi ikinci el alışveriş motivasyonları: Ölçek uyarlama çalışması. Uygulamalı Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 4(2), 74–88.
• Aluri, A., Price, B. S., & McIntyre, N. H. (2019). Using machine learning to cocreate value through dynamic customer engagement in a brand loyalty program. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 43(1), 78-100. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348017753521
• Banerjee, B., & McKeage, K. (1994). How green is my value: Exploring the relationship between environmentalism and materialism. Advances in Consumer Research, 21(1).
• Belk, R. (2014). You are what you can access: Sharing and collaborative consumption online. Journal of Business Research, 67(8), 1595–1600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.10.001
• Berry, L. L., Carbone, L. P., & Haeckel, S. H. (2002). Managing the total customer experience. MIT Sloan Management Review, 43(3), 85-89.
• Bilgin, Y. K. (2021). Türk turistlerin paylaşım ekonomisine katılma nedenleri ve memnuniyetlerinin belirlenmesi: Airbnb örneği üzerine bir karma yöntem araştırması [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Sakarya University of Applied Sciences.
• Bowden, J. L. H. (2009). The process of customer engagement: A conceptual framework. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 17(1), 63–74. https://doi.org/10.2753/MTP1069-6679170105
• Brodie, R. J., Ilic, A., Juric, B., & Hollebeek, L. (2013). Consumer engagement in a virtual brand community: An exploratory analysis. Journal of Business Research, 66(1), 105–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.07.029
• Calder, B. J., Malthouse, E. C., & Schaedel, U. (2009). An experimental study of the relationship between online engagement and advertising effectiveness. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 23(4), 321-331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2009.07.002
• Chang, C. T. (2012). Are guilt appeals a panacea in green advertising? The right formula of issue proximity and environmental consciousness. International Journal of Advertising, 31(4), 741-771. https://doi.org/10.2501/IJA-31-4-741-771
• Chen, Y., & Wang, L. (2019). Commentary: Marketing and the sharing economy: Digital economy and emerging market challenges. Journal of Marketing, 83(5), 28–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242919868470
• Cheung, C. M., Zheng, X., & Lee, M. K. (2014, January). Customer loyalty to C2C online shopping platforms: An exploration of the role of customer engagement. In Proceedings of the 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 3065–3072). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/hicss.2014.380
• Costa, A. D. A., Dekker, M., & Jongen, W. M. F. (2004). An overview of means-end theory: Potential application in consumer-oriented food product design. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 15(7–8), 403–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2004.02.005
• Creswell, J. D. (2017). Mindfulness interventions. Annual Review of Psychology, 68(1), 491–516. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-042716-051139
• Creswell, J. W. (2013). Steps in conducting a scholarly mixed methods study. DBER Speaker Series, 48. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dberspeakers/48
• Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
• Ek Styvén, M., & Mariani, M. M. (2020). Understanding the intention to buy secondhand clothing on sharing economy platforms: The influence of sustainability, distance from the consumption system, and economic motivations. Psychology & Marketing, 37(5), 724–739. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21334
• Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Addison-Wesley.
• Fu, W., & Kim, Y.- K. (2019). Eco- fashion consumption: Cognitive- experiential self- theory. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 47(3), 220–236. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.12296
• Gutman, J. (1982). A means‐end chain model based on consumer categorization processes. Journal of Marketing, 46(2), 60-72. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224298204600
• Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed.). Prentice Hall.
• Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. The Guilford Press.
• Hayes, A. F. (2017). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
• Hollebeek, L. D. (2011). Exploring customer brand engagement: Definition and themes. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 19(7), 555–573. https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2011.599493
• Hollebeek, L. D. (2013). The customer engagement/value interface: An exploratory investigation. Australasian Marketing Journal, 21(1), 17–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ausmj.2012.08.006
• HTF Market Intelligence. (2024). C2C e-commerce market: Global trends, growth and forecast 2024–2032. HTF Market Intelligence Reports. https://www.htfmarketreport.com/ Joyner Armstrong, C. M., & Lang, C. (2018). The clothing style confidence mindset in the circular economy. In K. Niinimäki (Ed.), Sustainable fashion through circular economy approach. Aalto Arts Books. Karakaş, G. (2022). Factors affecting food waste awareness in Turkey. The case of Çorum province. Eastern Journal of European Studies, 13(1), 271-289
• Khan, N. (2010). Functional and relational value influence on commitment and future intention: The case of banking industry. The Journal of International Social Research, 3(10), 376–391. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42637328
• Kim, S., & Lee, Y. J. (2012). The complex attribution process of CSR motives. Public Relations Review, 38(1), 168–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2011.09.024
• Korkmaz, S., & Gedik, Ö. (2020). Endüstri 4.0’ın sağlık sektörüne etkisinde demografik özelliklerin düzenleyici rolü. Hacettepe Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 38(4), 743–776. https://doi.org/10.17065/huniibf.684717
• Kumar, V., Rajan, B., Gupta, S., & Pozza, I. D. (2019). Customer engagement in service. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 47, 138–160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-017-0565-2
• Liu, W., Shao, W., and Wang, Q. (2021). Psychological distance from environmental pollution and willingness to participate in second-hand online transactions: An Experimental Survey in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 281, 124656.
• Luzio, J. P. P., & Lemke, F. (2013). Exploring green consumers’ product demands and consumption processes. European Business Review, 25(3), 281-300. https://doi.org/10.1108/09555341311314825
• Ma, L., Zhang, X., Hao, F., & Liu, S. (2023). Service quality, perceived price fairness, and users’ continuous usage intentions regarding shared bike service. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 34(13–14), 1682–1702. https://doi.org/10.1080/14783363.2023.2198121
• MacKinnon, D. P., Krull, J. L., & Lockwood, C. M. (2000). Equivalence of the mediation, confounding and suppression effect. Prevention Science, 1, 173–181. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026595011371 Malhotra, N. K. (2010). Marketing research: An applied orientation (6th ed.). Pearson Education.
• Maxwell, J. A., & Mittapalli, K. (2010). A realist approach to qualitative research. In A. Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (2nd ed., pp. 145–168). SAGE Publications.
• Meksopavankul, P. (2017). The affecting factors on consumer purchase intention in C2C electronic classified marketplaces: A Thai perspective [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. National Institute of Development Administration.
• Merrilees, B. (2016). Interactive brand experience pathways to customer-brand engagement and value co-creation. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 25(5), 402-408. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-04-2016-1151
• Mohammad, J., Quoquab, F., & Mohamed Sadom, N. Z. (2021). Mindful consumption of second-hand clothing: The role of e-WOM, attitude and consumer engagement. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 25(3), 482-510. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-05-2020-0080
• Moriuchi, E., & Takahashi, I. (2023). An empirical study on repeat consumer’s shopping satisfaction on C2C e-commerce in Japan: The role of value, trust, and engagement. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 35(3), 560–581. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-08-2021-0631
• Ofori, H., Kang, J., & Yang, S. B. (2023). What makes people purchase used products online? Focusing on the roles of consumer value, platform attachment, and consumer engagement. Korean Management Review, 52(5), 1003-1043. http://dx.doi.org/10.17287/kmr.2023.52.5.1003.
• Ou, J., Wong, I. A., Prentice, C., & Liu, M. T. (2020). Customer engagement and its outcomes: The cross-level effect of service environment and brand equity. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 44(2), 377–402. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348019893065
• Özkaya, B., & Kazançoğlu, İ. (2021). Y kuşağının ikinci el tüketim motivasyonlarının ve engellerinin belirlenmesine ilişkin nitel bir araştırma. Journal of Business in The Digital Age, 4(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.46238/jobda.935244
• Pang, H. (2021). Identifying associations between mobile social media users’ perceived values, attitude, satisfaction, and eWOM engagement: The moderating role of affective factors. Telematics and Informatics, 59, 101561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101561
• Parihar, P., Dawra, J., & Sahay, V. (2019). The role of customer engagement in the involvement–loyalty link. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 37(1), 66–79. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-04-2018-0135
• Park, H. H. (2023). Scarce fashion products consumption in the C2C second‐hand trading platform. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 51(3), 216-230. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.12471
• Rather, R. A. (2020). Customer experience and engagement in tourism destinations: The experiential marketing perspective. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 37(1), 15–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2019.1686101
• Reuters. (2025, February 26). eBay forecasts quarterly revenue below expectations. https://www.reuters.com/technology/ebay-forecasts-quarterly-revenue-below-expectations-2025-02-26/
• Sadachar, A., Feng, F., Karpova, E. E., & Manchiraju, S. (2016). Predicting environmentally responsible apparel consumption behavior of future apparel industry professionals: The role of environmental apparel knowledge, environmentalism and materialism. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 7(2), 76-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2015.1131433
• Sánchez-Fernández, R., & Iniesta-Bonillo, M. Á. (2007). The concept of perceived value: A systematic review of the research. Marketing Theory, 7(4), 427-451. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593107083165
• Sawhney, M., Verona, G., & Prandelli, E. (2005). Collaborating to create: The Internet as a platform for customer engagement in product innovation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 19(4), 4–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.20046
• Segev, S., Shoham, A., & Gavish, Y. (2015). A closer look into materialism construct: The antecedents and consequences of materialism and its three facets. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 32(2), 85–98. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-07-2014-1082
• Sheth, J. N., Newman, B. I., & Gross, B. L. (1991). Why we buy what we buy: A theory of consumption values. Journal of Business Research, 22(2), 159-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/0148-2963(91)90050-8
• Shrout, P. E., & Bolger, N. (2002). Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: New procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 7(4), 422–445. https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2002-11349-006
• Sim, J. (2023). Forward to the past: Redesigning the form and flow of C2C marketplace [Doctoral dissertation]. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• Sim, M., & Plewa, C. (2017). Customer engagement with a service provider and context: An empirical examination. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 27(4), 854–876. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-03-2016-0057
• Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. N. (2001). Consumer perceived value: The development of a multiple item scale. Journal of Retailing, 77(2), 203-220. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(01)00041-0
• Thakur, R. (2018), “Customer engagement and online reviews”, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 41, 48-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2017.11.002
• Telli, S. G., Aydın, S., & Şen, D. G. (2021). Covid-19 sürecinde çevrimiçi ikinci el ürün alışverişine yönelik tutum ve satın alma niyeti üzerine bir araştırma. Aksaray Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 13(2), 11–22. https://doi.org/10.52791/aksarayiibd.870124
• Telli, S. G., & Gezmişoğlu Şen, D. (2022). Tüketicilerin ikinci el çevrimiçi pazardaki plansız satın almalarında demografik farklılığı belirlemeye yönelik bir çalışma. Kırşehir Ahi Evran Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 6(2), 160–174.
• Teubner, T., Adam, M. T., Camacho, S., & Hassanein, K. (2014, December 8–10). Understanding resource sharing in C2C platforms: The role of picture humanization. In Proceedings of the 25th Australasian Conference on Information Systems. Auckland, New Zealand.
• Venetis, K. A., & Ghauri, P. N. (2004). Service quality and customer retention: Building long-term relationships. European Journal of Marketing, 38(11/12), 1577–1598. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560410560254
• Verhoef, P. C., Reinartz, W. J., & Krafft, M. (2010). Customer engagement as a new perspective in customer management. Journal of Service Research, 13(3), 247-252. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670510375461
• Vivek, S. D., Beatty, S. E., & Morgan, R. M. (2012). Customer engagement: Exploring customer relationships beyond purchase. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 20(2), 122-146. https://doi.org/10.2753/MTP1069-6679200201
• Wen, P., Tao, L., & Zhang, Q. (2023, July). Identification of consumer factors that influence purchase intention in online C2C second-hand transactions. In International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 380–387). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
• Wertz, B., & Kingyens, A. T. (2015). A guide to marketplaces. Version One. https://versionone.vc/marketplace-handbook/
• Xiao, G., & Kim, J. O. (2009). The investigation of Chinese consumer values, consumption values, life satisfaction, and consumption behaviors. Psychology & Marketing, 26(7), 610-624. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20291
• Zhang, M., Guo, L., Hu, M., & Liu, W. (2017). Influence of customer engagement with company social networks on stickiness: Mediating effect of customer value creation. International Journal of Information Management, 37(3), 229-240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.04.010