Antecedents and Consequences of Customized Product Value

Online customization has become a prominent strategic approach for delivering personalized value. However, prior research has largely examined isolated relationships such as trust and purchase intention, customization and value, or value and loyalty. This study situates the issue within the broader context of digital co-creation and aims to provide an integrated explanation of how trust in an e-vendor and participation in e-customization shape multiple dimensions of customized product value and subsequent repeat purchase intention. Using survey data from 312 customers with prior online customization experience, the proposed relationships were tested through structural equation modeling. The results suggest that trust in an e-vendor increases participation in customization, which in turn enhances utilitarian value, uniqueness value, and self-expressiveness value. These value components positively influence repeat purchase intention, and several mediation effects have emerged. Specifically, participation partly mediates the effect of trust on all three value dimensions, while uniqueness value and self-expressiveness value partly mediate the effect of participation on repeat purchase intention. Overall, the findings provide empirical evidence for a trust–participation–value pathway and highlight the importance of both functional and symbolic value outcomes in sustaining customer engagement in online customization environments.