Despite the growth and recognized importance of experiential consumption, the marketing literature has largely focused on the actual consumption experience while omitting an essential piece of the puzzle—the pre-experience stage. The goal of this research is to understand how participation in an online community influences experience identification during the pre- experience stage. A theoretical model, based on social identity theory, is developed and tested with a sample of first-time cruisers participating in an online cruise community. Results of this study suggest that first time experiential consumers can identify with an experience in the pre- experience stage through a key community participation variable—experience imagination.
