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A validation Study of House of Quality key performance indicators
Segmentation by organizational structure
According to De Valck (2005), the way a virtual community is organized not only influences the way
individual members participate but has also influence on how they make consumer decisions.
Therefore the third segmentation aspect distinguished by De Valck (2005) is based on the
organizational structure of the virtual community. For segmentation on the organizational structure
De Valck distinguished several dimensions. The most appropriate one for De Unie will be the issue
whether and to what extent the individual members are likely to endorse the virtual community on a
voluntary basis.
2.3.3 Function of Virtual Communities in Marketing
As mentioned before, the internet can be very valuable to its users. The internet is able to connect
across diverse and dispersed locations. By doing so, the internet creates new social constructs like
communities of users (Jones 1999). Therefore the interest of marketers in learning about, organizing
and managing virtual communities on the internet is increasing (Bagozzi and Dholakia, 2002).
Hagel and Armstrong (1997) announce that companies which are able to invest in new possibilities
created by the internet will gain positive advantages by the creation of virtual communities, leading
to market knowledge and information. Nowadays marketers start finding ways that can strengthen
and support their brand image and overall corporate identity by the creation of strong virtual
communities (Hildebrand, 1998).
Kozinets (1999) mentioned that marketers should be aware that within the virtual environment,
consumers are considered to be; 1) more active and discerning; 2) less accessible to one-on-one
processes and 3) provide a large amount of valuable and cultural information. Taking this into
account, Rowley (2004) contributes that within the virtual environment marketing communications
therefore are concerned with the following factors; creating presence, creating relationships and
creating mutual benefits.
De Valck (2005) summarized the benefits for consumers as well as for producers in the overview
presented in Table 1.
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