Enhancing customer engagement: Exploration and introduction to the special section

V. Kumar, Robert P. Leone, Leigh McAlister

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · 2025 · Volume 53 · Issue 4

Abstract

This special section of theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Sciencepresents five impactful studies that explore customer engagement (CE) through crowdfunding, social media, influencer networks, and live-streaming. These studies enhance our understanding of CE and how it shapes firm strategy and consumer behavior. As a preface to the studies featured in this special section, we present an integrated framework—linking triggers, mediators, moderators, and outcomes—that contextualizes CE. As a part of that contextualization, we introduce a Digital Customer Engagement Maturity matrix to categorize firms according to their technology adoption and realized CE outcomes. We identify key themes from recent literature and outline promising avenues for future research. Together, the contributions offered in this special section present robust theoretical and methodological insights into the evolving landscape of CE, reinforcing CE’s importance as a strategic lever in digitally mediated consumer-firm relationships.

Keywords

Customer engagement, Digital customer engagement maturity matrix, Crowdfunding, Social media, Influencer networks, Live-streaming, User-generated content

Enable JavaScript for citation tools and additional paper interactions.