Article

Trust during retail encounters: A touchy proposition

September 2013
Journal of Retailing 89(3):301-314

DOI:10.1016/j.jretai.2013.02.002

Authors:

Ulrich R. Orth

Kiel University

Tatiana Bouzdine-Chameeva

Kedge Business School

Adopting an interpersonal communication perspective, this study examines the propositions that a salesperson's touch increases trust, which increases product evaluations and purchase intention. These relationships are evaluated in a contact and non-contact culture, with need for touch (NFT) examined as an additional moderator. An exploratory series of in-depth interviews provides an initial understanding of these relationships, followed by a 2 (touch/no touch condition) × 2 (consumers in France/Germany) experiment with wine serving as the example category. The findings indicate that touch does not uniformly instill trust in customers. Instead a salesperson's touch relates to greater trust only when consumers have an inherent NFT or when they are from a culture where personal touching behavior is less prevalent. Trust, in turn, relates positively to evaluations of product attractiveness, quality, and to purchase intention.

SONIA EL HAKIM TESIS DOCTORAL COMUNICACIÓN NO VERBAL ENCUENTRO SERVICIO

Thesis

Full-text available

Nov 2024

Sonia El Hakim López

¿Puede una simple acción no verbal cambiar las percepciones que el cliente tiene acerca del vendedor en un encuentro de servicio? En esta tesis hemos examinado, por primera vez en una muestra española y a través de tres estudios, cómo un leve toque del vendedor en el hombro o en el brazo del cliente y/o una sonrisa “Duchenne” del vendedor al cliente influyen en las evaluaciones que el cliente hace de la calidez y de la competencia del vendedor, utilizando para ello el Modelo de Contenido de Estereotipos (Fiske et al., 2002). En el primer estudio (con datos de 2018), estudiamos el efecto del leve toque y de la sonrisa del vendedor sobre las evaluaciones que el cliente hace de su calidez y su competencia, así como la interacción de la sonrisa sobre los efectos del leve toque del vendedor en las evaluaciones del cliente (estudiada por primera vez en un encuentro de servicio). En el segundo estudio, replicamos el primero, pero con datos tomados en 2022, para analizar el efecto pandemia. Y en el tercer estudio, con datos de 2023, estudiamos si el sexo del vendedor y del comprador modula el efecto del leve toque del vendedor en las evaluaciones que el cliente hace de su competencia y su calidez. Además, introducimos la extraversión de cliente (estudios 1 y 2) y el Confort con el Tacto Interpersonal del cliente (estudio 3) como variables moduladoras. Los resultados encontrados muestran que, tanto la sonrisa como el leve toque del vendedor tienen un efecto positivo sobre la evaluación que el cliente hace de su calidez, a lo largo de los 3 estudios. Cuando el vendedor, además, de tocar al cliente, le sonríe, el efecto positivo del tacto sobre la evaluación de la calidez del vendedor es menos intenso, tanto antes como después de la pandemia. En cuanto a la percepción de la competencia, la sonrisa “Duchenne” del vendedor también provoca un efecto positivo sobre el efecto que el tacto del vendedor en las percepciones del cliente, sin efecto pandemia. Sin embargo, el leve toque del vendedor sufre una evolución a lo largo de nuestros tres estudios en cuanto a su efecto sobre la evaluación de su competencia, pasando de ser positivo en 2018, a no ser significativo en 2022 y a tener un efecto negativo en 2023. Así mismo, la interacción de la sonrisa sobre el efecto que el tacto del vendedor tiene sobre la evaluación que el cliente hace de su calidez no es significativa, ni antes ni después de la pandemia. En cuanto a la modulación del sexo del vendedor y del comprador sobre el efecto del leve toque del vendedor en las evaluaciones de los clientes, encontramos que las evaluaciones de los clientes no están influidas por el sexo de los vendedores, sean hombres o mujeres; mientras que el sexo del comprador sí influye, siendo los compradores hombres los que mejor evalúan a los vendedores, en comparación con las clientes mujeres. Se discuten los resultados encontrados y se exponen las implicaciones gerenciales.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the potential impact of need for touch (NFT) on perceived product quality and the possible roles of purchasers’ social (subjective norms), personal (buying impulsiveness) and epistemic (e-commerce orientation) factors, as well as the likely interaction effect of the shopping channel. Design/methodology/approach The empirical study is based on 540 observations, analysed in a partial least squares structural equation model. Findings The link between the NFT and perceived quality tends to be negative, especially for online purchases. E-commerce orientation reduces the need to touch products, but subjective norms and buying impulsiveness have no significant effects. Research limitations/implications The NFT scale might be improved by adding more items. Some of the structural model coefficients indicate a low effect size. Finally, the results are limited to Spanish purchasers of the focal product. Practical implications Firms should appeal to purchasers’ e-commerce orientation to reduce the negative implications of a need to touch products among consumers shopping online. Originality/value The need to touch a product may be an obstacle to online purchases, yet few studies deal with its impact in online, relative to offline, contexts to evaluate product quality. This study also integrates personal, social and epistemic factors.

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Olivia Petit

Getting help is often difficult for people who trigger disgust (e.g., homeless, sick, or disabled people) as well as the charities representing them because of low trust in these groups. Prior research has demonstrated that physical contact can help increase generosity. However, it is difficult to trigger this phenomenon—called Midas Touch Effect—when people feel disgust and are uncomfortable with interpersonal touch. This research examines touch-related vocabulary (e.g., “I would be touched,” “anyone who I can contact”) as an alternative, non-physical way for prompting the Midas Touch Effect. This research examines if such a vocabulary may reduce the negative effects of disgust on trust, and thus increase the willingness to donate. Across two studies, it is shown that while disgust has a negative effect on trust and willingness to donate to a homeless person when no touch-related vocabulary is used, no such negative effect is observed when the message includes touch-related vocabulary.

The Role of Touch, Touchscreens, and Haptic Technology in Interactive Marketing: Evolution from Physical Touch to Digital Touch

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Consumers use their sense of touch to interact with products and salespeople in direct marketing; they use touchscreen devices to interact with products and others on e-commerce and mobile commerce platforms. Understanding the role of touch in consumers’ experiences in both physical and digital realms is essential for businesses to implement effective haptic strategies and for scholars to advance knowledge in touch literature. This chapter offers an initial review of the role of touch, touchscreens, and haptic technology through an interactive marketing lens. Specifically, it proposes a conceptual framework for continued research by situating current haptic and tactile research within an interactive marketing frame. It summarizes new knowledge of three important topics in interactive marketing: technology adoption, customer behavior, and multichannel marketing. It also draws readers’ attention to the multifaceted research of touch from psychology and neuroscience perspectives. The first half of the chapter summarizes the most up-to-date research findings and theories (e.g., psychological ownership) on haptic and tactile effects that substantially affect interactions between consumers and products and between consumers and service providers. Then a summary of recent research outlines how touchscreen devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) and haptic technology (e.g., smart wearables) influence consumers’ experiences in the digital world.

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Store-based retailers face constant challenges in trying to lure shoppers, extend shopping visits, and convert patrons. With shopping options galore (e.g., native online sellers, mobile commerce, automatic replenishment), experts might inquire whether store-based retailers still offer enough value for today's consumers. Some stores have found success through format diversification, self-checkout, in-store pickup, and so on. In this study, we assert that store-based retailers could find success via in-store salespersons capable of satisfying the social needs of consumers experiencing loneliness. Despite purported “connections” to friends, followers, and devices, consumers of all demographics feel undesirable shortcomings in their personal relationships. Delving into this largely unexplored area, we find that two varieties of loneliness—social and emotional—influence the degree to which consumers use in-store sales personnel for social interaction. We also ascertain that consumers’ predisposition to comply with salesperson input affects their trust in the salesperson, purchase intention, and retail store patronage.

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Apr 2020
J CONSUM RES

Previous research has highlighted the effects of receiving interpersonal touch on persuasion. In contrast, we examine initiating touch. Individuals instructed to touch engage in egocentric projection in which they project their own affective reaction onto their expectations for how the recipient will feel (i.e., empathic forecast), how they appear to the recipient (i.e., metaperception), and the evaluation of the interaction itself (i.e., interaction awkwardness). Touch initiators expect that recipients will feel worse with touch, express concern for how they, themselves, will be perceived, and think interactions are more awkward. Interestingly, touch recipients do not evaluate these interactions more negatively and leave higher tips after having been touched; touch initiators do not expect this to be the case. As a result, instructed touch initiators (vs. volitional touch initiators) are less (more) likely to engage in subsequent interactions with customers, potentially undermining future service provided to customers. Across five studies, four of which involve actual dyadic interactions, we test the consequences of initiating touch with an inquiry into the effects of interpersonal touch on the initiator. We discuss theoretical and managerial implications.

The influence of in-store personnel on online store value: An analogical transfer perspective: VERHAGEN et al.

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2019
PSYCHOL MARKET

In today’s multichannel retail environment, consumers’ experiences in one channel influence their perceptions of another channel. Specifically, consumer evaluations of a firm’s online store have been found to be influenced by consumer interactions with the firm’s in‐store personnel. This paper is among the first to address this assumption and test it empirically. Drawing upon the analogical transfer paradigm, we propose hypotheses and accordingly model in‐store personnel’s competence and friendliness as determinants of online store usefulness, online store enjoyment, and online store value. Using consumer data collected from two Dutch multichannel retailers, we test this model with partial least squares modeling. The results provide clear support for the model and confirm that consumers may use characteristics of in‐store personnel as analogies when evaluating a firm’s online store. Implications for research and retail managers are discussed.

Stories and metaphors in retail selling

Article

Jun 2018
Int J Retail Distrib Manag

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose future directions for research into stories and metaphors as concise communication tools that are particularly salient for the fast pace of today’s retail sales environment. Design/methodology/approach A cross disciplinary approach is taken to propose new avenues for sales communication research. Findings This work highlights research possibilities into the contextually sensitive constructs of stories and metaphors with associated theoretical approaches. This could improve research into stories and metaphors as communication techniques for retail selling. Research limitations/implications The findings indicate that stories and metaphors are highly engaging sensemaking tools that salespeople can use in retail sales encounters. The lack of existing literature within the sales domain suggests a significant learning curve in demarcating the use of these tools. Practical implications Stories and metaphors are presently used by salespeople but without the benefit of extensive scientific understanding. This paper builds a foundation for research that could bring clarity to the use of these tools in retail selling. Originality/value Researchers will benefit from a finer grained conceptualization with which to examine sales communication. The proposed research should get sales practitioners a clearer understanding of using stories and metaphors in sales encounters.

THE SALESPERSON-CONSUMER INTERACTIONS: A STUDY IN THE SURFWEAR RETAIL

Poster

Full-text available

May 2018

Technological advances allow new points of contact, where the salesperson-consumer interaction can be in the digital, physical environment, or both. Guo and Main (2017) suggest that sellers should adjust their approach based on consumer characteristics such as mood and buying motivation, thus creating a better perception of the service and further memorable experiences (Bustamante & Rubio, 2017). Given the complexity of the effects of the human variable in the retail environment (Turley & Milliman, 2000) which presents itself as a rich empirical context for behavioral investigations (Penz & Hogg, 2011), the research is oriented by the following question: how do the interactions occur between salesperson and consumers in the surfwear retail?.

On the nature of international sales and sales management research: a social network–analytic perspective

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2018

This research uses a combination of text mining, co-word analysis, and social network analysis (SNA) to review 132 international sales and sales management (ISSM) articles published between 1980 and 2017. The study provides a unique view of the past and future of ISSM research and provides three principal contributions. First, from a social network–analytic perspective, it offers a unique examination of the ways ISSM research topics are interconnected, as reflected by keyword network structure. Second, by conducting SNA across two periods (1980–1999 and 2000–2017) and examining the changes in network centrality measures, the study offers initial insights into the evolving nature of the ISSM literature. Third, the study reports keyword network disconnections (i.e., structural holes) to propose a fruitful agenda for future ISSM research. Taken together, this research offers a current perspective of the ISSM research domain's evolving nature.

Impact of in-store actions on brand relationship quality. Application to fast moving consumer goods distributed in hyper and supermarkets.

Thesis

Full-text available

Nov 2014

Sarah Mussol

How can be developed and impacted relationships in store? Many researches have studied in-store actions in a transactional perspective while relationship marketing has paid little attention to what happens in store. However, stores constitute a key point of contact between consumers and brands. Based on two qualitative studies and an experimental study, this research focuses on the impact of in-store actions on consumer-brand relationships. It differentiates relational and transactional actions and compares their effects. The empirical application involves ice cream brands distributed in the super-hypermarket channel. An online questionnaire is implemented to test fictitious actions that brands could implement. Our results show the interest for manufacturers brands to use relational in-store actions. Individuals exposed to relational in-store actions attribute more frequently the effort to the manufacturer. They perceive stronger efforts and brand expression, they identify more with the brand, and declare a higher loyalty to the latter. On the whole, in-store actions demonstrate the brand relational orientation and contribute to the relationship quality. The originality of the research lies in the consideration of in-store actions in a relational perspective. More generally, the conceptualization and the study of the impact of these kinds of actions highlight a more social way to consider interactions between consumers and brands in the marketplace.

“I’ll wait for him”: Understanding when female shoppers prefer working with gay male sales associates

Article

Full-text available

May 2017
J Retailing Consum Serv

This article explores an under-researched area in retailing; namely, straight female shoppers’ preferences for working with gay male sales associates. Study 1 employs qualitative methodology to show that female shoppers often prefer working with gay male sales associates when they are older or heavier than female sales associates. Study 2 employs experimental methodology to show that female shoppers desire to work with gay male associates more than their straight male counterparts when they are purchasing merchandise requiring non-sexual intimacy, such as apparel and cosmetics. The results should help retailers understand why many female shoppers willingly, and comfortably, work with gay male sales associates and the role of gay associates in various retail departments.

SOSYAL BİLİMLERDE DİJİTALLEŞMEYE YÖNELİK AKADEMİK ARAŞTIRMALAR

Chapter

Full-text available

Apr 2025

Dijital dünyanın hızlı bir şekilde gelişmesi sayesinde tüketicilerin internet üzerinden alışveriş yapma sıklığı artmıştır. Önceleri sadece fiziksel mağazalardan alışveriş yapan tüketiciler dijitalleşmenin hayatlarına girmesi ile çok kanallı alışveriş olanağı ile karşı karşıya kalmıştır. Çok kanallı alışveriş olanağı sayesinde tüketiciler bazı kanallarda ürünü veya ürünün fiyatını araştırmakta, ürünü denemekte, diğer kanallardan ise satın almayı gerçekleştirmektedir. Bu durum da çok kanallı alışveriş türlerinden biri olan showrooming davranışına daha fazla başvurulmasına neden olmuştur. Showrooming tüketicilerin mağazaya gidip ürün ve fiyat incelemesi yaparak beğendikleri ve uygun fiyatlı olduğunu düşündükleri ürünleri internet üzerinden satın alma davranışlarıdır. Özellikle kozmetik ürünlerde tüketicilerin mağazada inceleme yapıp daha sonra aynı ürünü uygun fiyata internetten satın aldığı görülmektedir. Ürün reklamlarında kullanılan ünlülerin çekicilik, dürüstlük ve uzmanlık özelliklerine vurgu yapılması da tüketicileri etkileyebilmekte, böylelikle tüketiciler internet üzerinden daha kolay alışveriş yapabilmektedir. Tüketicilerin kozmetik ürünleri satın almasını sağlamak için kozmetik ürünlerin reklamlarında genellikle ünlü kişiler kullanılmaktadır. Reklamlarda kullanılan ünlüler tüketicilerin markaya güven duymasını da sağlamaktadır. Ek olarak tüketicilerin markaya güvenduymaları internetten ürün alma olasılığını da artırmaktadır. Bu nedenle bu araştırmanın amacı kozmetik ürün satın alan tüketicilerde reklamlarda ünlü kullanımının showrooming davranışı ve marka güveni üzerindeki etkisini ortaya çıkartmaktır. Araştırmanın örneklemini Türkiye’de yaşayan 18 yaş ve üstü 399 tüketici oluşturmaktadır. Katılımcılara kolayda örnekleme yöntemi vasıtasıyla ulaşılmıştır. Veriler çevrim içi anket yöntemi ile toplanmıştır. Reklamlarda Ünlü Kullanımı Ölçeği çekicilik, dürüstlük ve uzmanlık olmak üzere üç alt faktörden, Marka Güveni Ölçeği güvenirlik ve niyet boyutlarından ve son olarak Showrooming Ölçeği de tek faktör 5 ifadeden meydana gelmektedir. Öncelikle verilere doğrulayıcı faktör analizi yapılmış, daha sonra da hipotezleri test edebilmek için yapısal eşitlik modeli kullanılmıştır. Doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonucuna göre reklamda ünlü kullanımı çekicilik, dürüstlük ve uzmanlık olmak üzere üç alt boyuttan, marka güveni güvenirlik ve niyet boyutlarından, showrooming davranışı ise tek alt boyuttan meydana gelmektedir. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre reklamlarda kullanılan ünlünün uzmanlığı showrooming davranışını, çekiciliği marka güvenirliğini ve son olarak showrooming davranışı marka güvenirlik ve niyetini etkilemektedir

The impact of a blockchain-based food traceability system on the online purchase intention of organic agricultural products

Article

Feb 2024
INNOV FOOD SCI EMERG

Customer responses to service providers’ touch: A meta-analysis

Article

Nov 2023
J BUS RES

Theory of Homophily and Trust in Buyer-seller: Effect of Individual Characteristics

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2022

Human resources in any organization have a significant impact on how one organization excels in competition with others, which in some areas, such as face-to-face sales, this role is more important. The purpose of this study is evaluation of the effect of salesperson gender and age (demographic characteristics), salesperson height and weight on buyer trust to a salesperson, using conjoint analysis approach and Based on Homophily theory. Data were collected from clothing buyers in Tehran through 194 questionnaires using in hand sampling. Results show the main factor affecting buyer’s confidence to a salesperson is his/her weight with the average importance of 28.5%. Salesperson’s age, height, and gender are located in the next priorities with average importance of 27/7, 23/9 and 19/9% respectively. Based on results effect of different surface of salesperson characteristics on buyer’s trust shows the same gender, weight and height of salesperson and buyer led to more confidence of buyer. Also, the difference in age between salesperson and buyer, decrease buyer’s trust. The results of ranking 12 types of salespersons according to the utility average shows the first rank allocates to a salesperson with these characteristics: different gender from a buyer, older than a buyer, similar weight and taller than the buyer. Also, the last rank allocated to a salesperson includes characteristics as the similar gender with the buyer, same age as the buyer, different weight with the buyer and taller than him/her

“Going on a sensory adventure, a touchy subject?”: investigating haptic technology and consumer adventure orientation

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2021

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it seeks to extend service and retailers understanding of how the inclusion of haptics can gamify digital service experiences. Second, it seeks to understand the moderating role of consumers orientation towards adventure in service experiences. Design/methodology/approach This research adopts a two-study, 2 (haptic technology: present vs absent) × 2 (adventure orientation: high vs low) to test the proposed hypotheses (Study 1 n = 210, Study 2 n = 452). The data are tested using ANCOVA's and Hayes PROCESS Macro to investigate mean differences and the potential presence of two different moderated mediated relationships. Findings The results are consistent across the two experimental studies evidencing that the inclusion of haptics to gamify the service experience leads to significantly improved outcomes for service brands and channels. Further, the results demonstrate that the impact of haptics is greater for consumers with a lower, compared to higher, sense of adventure. Thus, the results demonstrate that whilst haptics improves consumers experiences with technological services overall, this is more prevalent for those who have “less sense of adventure”. Originality/value This paper sheds insight into the emerging area of haptic technology and is one of the first to specifically examine the impact of consumers “sense of adventure.”

Predicting trust in online advertising with an SEM-artificial neural network approach

Article

Aug 2020
EXPERT SYST APPL

Trust has an imperative role in online advertising because the effectiveness of the adverts will be greatly affected when consumers distrust online adverts. Currently, the level of consumers' trust in online advertising remains low. The current study will assess the drivers of trust by integrating the Trust Building Model and the ADTRUST scale. Unlike present literature that utilized linear models, a Structural Equation Modelling-Artificial Neural Network (SEM-ANN) approach was used. This is because consumers’ trust-building is a complex process and linear models will over-simplify the complexity in the decision-making processes. Thus, the outcomes from linear models are inadequate and inaccurate to explicate the mechanism of trust creation in online advertising. Data were gathered from 500 online consumers using a mall intercept technique. The outcomes from the sensitivity analysis show that reliability is the most imperative antecedent of trust followed by website quality, willingness to rely on, reputation, and hours spent. The model predicts 76.14% trust in online advertising. The theoretical implication is the integration of the ADTRUST scale with the Trust Building Model. The methodological implication is the use of the SEM-ANN approach that captured both linear-nonlinear and compensatory-non-compensatory associations. The findings provide some useful practical implications for online advertisers, service providers, and retailers. The study has contributed useful theoretical and practical implications to the online marketing literature.

Consumer Trust in Internet Marketing and Direct Selling in China

Article

May 2019

This research aims to examine and contrast trust in consumer-salesperson/organization relationships in direct selling and Internet (online) marketing in China, a large and fast-growing market for both approaches in B2C marketing. A personal interview survey involving two different measures of trust (i.e., cognitive trust and organization trust) was conducted. Two sample groups were obtained independently from southern and northern cities in China. For cognitive trust, there is a significant difference between the two shopping approaches (Internet marketing vs. direct selling), with the value of trust generally being greater for direct selling. In contrast, for organization trust, the value is greater for Internet marketing. However, the overall results show that neither the measure of cognitive trust nor the measure of organization trust is a good predictor of consumer behavior. Managerial implications and recommendations for future research directions are discussed.

India’s lonely and isolated consumers shopping for an in-store social experience

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2018
Market Intell Plann

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how social loneliness, emotional loneliness and social isolation relate to Indian consumers’ enjoyment of social interaction with an in-store salesperson. Design/methodology/approach Over 300 Indian respondents are surveyed about personal disposition, shopping experiences and other factors. The research model and hypotheses are evaluated utilizing partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings As posited, Indian consumers dealing with loneliness and social isolation tend to enjoy in-store shopping experiences involving personal interactions with salespersons. Further, salespersons’ adaptive selling relates positively to consumers’ predisposition to comply with salesperson input and three outcomes (i.e. trust in salesperson, purchase intention and retail patronage). Originality/value This study fills a void in current marketing and retailing literature, providing one of the first known empirical investigations of consumers’ experiences with loneliness and social isolation. Overall, the study shows that store-based retailers within culturally collectivistic emerging markets can capitalize on their unique ability to attract and retain shoppers through in-store salesperson interactions.

An Qualitative study of Effective Selling Behavior and Relationship Selling Behavior of Korean sales people: Focus on the case of auto finance salesperson in Ajucapital Corporation

Article

Mar 2016

Today, with the fierce competition, the importance of effective sales capabilities in differentiated core competencies has been more emphasized. Businesses are getting through strengthened sales capabilities and generate sustainable performance over this very important relationships with existing customers. In this situation, important effective selling behaviors are adaptive selling behavior and relationship-oriented selling behavior in this respect. Adaptive selling behavior has been a lot of studies by the Weits and his colleagues in the 1990s. After that, it has been a lot of studies on customer-oriented selling behavior and relationship-oriented selling behavior in the 2000s. In this study, we tried to establish a theoretical concept through the review of existing research on relationshp oriented selling behavior which has been studied most actively in effective selling behavior research. Based on this review process, we clarify the deficiencies in the existing research and try to establish the Korean concept of relationship-oriented selling behavior through qualitative research. To achieve this goal, in the interviews with the salespersons of a Korean finance company (Aju Capital), wey derive the concept of nation relationship-oriented selling behavior and evaluate the configuration of factors. Interview results are sorted and analyzed according to the contents of Grounded theory which is most commonly used in qualitative methods. As grounded theory suggested, Interview process was recorded and the transcripts of the interview records were made. By a total of four researchers, including the two research assistant, analysis of the transcripts was done. At first, each researcher organized each concept and specific factors mentioned by the salesperson and if there is a difference in opinion of all researchers in the classification process, it was adjusted through discussion. Based on the results of the analysis derive a conceptual model of the Korea relationship-oriented selling process and proposed a six research propositions. Research proposition 1 are intended to present the relationships between salesperson’s intention to make a relationship with customer and factors which influence the relationship making intention. Those factors are leadership, relevance, interactivity, performance, integrity, and similarities. Research Proposition 2 has set a positive relationship between the intention and the formation of relationship. Proposition 3 presents the three factors that affect the trust of the public relations with the customer (comfort, integrity, and altruism (care)). Research Proposition 4 is presented two factors (sincerity and sharing of information) which influence trust and informal relationship and a factor (personal meeting) that affect informal relationship. Research proposition 5 emphasizes the importance of trust in both formal and informal relationships and suggested that public relations are proposed to have a positive impact on informal relationship. Finally, the study proposes expected performances through relationship with customers which are financial performance, collaboration and referral behaviors. Those performance are all long term oriented performances in customer perspective. This paper presents a theoretical contributions and practical implications in the following ways: First, this study suggested the process of relationship-oriented selling behavior and proposed the elements of relationship orientation in Korea. Second we proposed that the process of relationship oriented selling behavior is divided into relationship intentions, relationship forming and expected performance from relationship making process. In practice, we suggested relationship-oriented outcomes in assessment portion of the sales people (financial performance, collaboration and referral act) and the relationship-oriented selling is very important to generate revenue in the long term of the company.

Exploring risks, advantages and interpersonal trust in buyer-salesperson relationships in direct selling in a non-western country

Article

Mar 2017
Int J Retail Distrib Manag

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the dimensions of interpersonal trust which would affect the buyer-salesperson relationship in a direct selling situation. It also investigates consumers’ perceived risk and advantages of direct selling. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey of consumers (and also non-consumers) of direct selling companies in Hong Kong was performed by means of mall-intercept interview. The major measurements were perceived risk, perceived advantages, trust dimensions, and repurchase intention. Findings The results show that there are six dimensions of interpersonal trust in the buyer-seller relationship in direct selling, but only one dimension (i.e. honesty) has a significant relationship with repurchase intention. The ability to shop at home is found to have the highest advantage rating of direct selling. In addition, direct selling is perceived to have a lower level of risk than unsolicited telephone call such as telemarketing. Originality/value This is the first study to investigate the effects of different dimensions of interpersonal trust on consumer buying behavior under a direct selling situation in Asia. The study also serves as a foundation for studying the applicability and usefulness of all trust measures in other western or non-western cultures/nations.

Effects of Flight Attendants' Touch upon Airline Passengers' Perceptions of the Attendant and the Airline

Article

Full-text available

Jan 1990
PERCEPT MOTOR SKILL

Airline flight attendants' touching of 158 passengers on the shoulder or forearm increased their liking of the 4 attendants and the airline in general and also their perceived flight safety.

Confidence Limits for the Indirect Effect: Distribution of the Product and Resampling Methods

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2004
MULTIVAR BEHAV RES

The most commonly used method to test an indirect effect is to divide the estimate of the indirect effect by its standard error and compare the resulting z statistic with a critical value from the standard normal distribution. Confidence limits for the indirect effect are also typically based on critical values from the standard normal distribution. This article uses a simulation study to demonstrate that confidence limits are imbalanced because the distribution of the indirect effect is normal only in special cases. Two alternatives for improving the performance of confidence limits for the indirect effect are evaluated: (a) a method based on the distribution of the product of two normal random variables, and (b) resampling methods. In Study 1, confidence limits based on the distribution of the product are more accurate than methods based on an assumed normal distribution but confidence limits are still imbalanced. Study 2 demonstrates that more accurate confidence limits are obtained using resampling methods, with the bias-corrected bootstrap the best method overall.

Methods for Integrating Moderation and Mediation: A General Analytical Framework Using Moderated Path Analysis

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2007

Studies that combine moderation and mediation are prevalent in basic and applied psychology research. Typically, these studies are framed in terms of moderated mediation or mediated moderation, both of which involve similar analytical approaches. Unfortunately, these approaches have important shortcomings that conceal the nature of the moderated and the mediated effects under investigation. This article presents a general analytical framework for combining moderation and mediation that integrates moderated regression analysis and path analysis. This framework clarifies how moderator variables influence the paths that constitute the direct, indirect, and total effects of mediated models. The authors empirically illustrate this framework and give step-by-step instructions for estimation and interpretation. They summarize the advantages of their framework over current approaches, explain how it subsumes moderated mediation and mediated moderation, and describe how it can accommodate additional moderator and mediator variables, curvilinear relationships, and structural equation models with latent variables.

To touch or not to touch; that is the question. Should consumers always be encouraged to touch products, and does it always alter product perception?

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2011
PSYCHOL MARKET

It has previously been suggested that consumers' product evaluations are positively affected by tactile interaction. However, it is not known if it is applicable to products that people usually touch for brief periods of time. This study sets out to explore whether it is possible to influence consumers' tactile perception of fast-moving consumer goods by altering the surface texture. In this study individual tactile sensing and visual appreciation were compared with the combined visual and tactile sensing of surface textures for two types of products (soap and biscuits). Three types of textures on the outside of either a soap or biscuit box and three separate sample swatches of the textures used on the boxes were used in the study. The three soap or biscuit boxes were visually presented to the participants. This was followed by a blind haptic evaluation of the three textures, and then by a combined visual and tactile evaluation of three differently textured boxes (either soap or biscuit boxes). The results suggest that a consumer's perception of the packaging of fast-moving consumer goods is affected more by vision than by touch, which raises some questions with regard to when marketers should encourage consumers to engage in extensive tactile interaction prior to purchase. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Trust Earning Perceptions of Sellers and Buyers

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2013

Success in selling demands effective trust earning behavior. This article examines and compares the perceptions of manufacturers' reps and purchasing executives in relation to this process of earning the buyer's trust. The results indicate statistically significant differences over the two groups in their perceptions of how various trust earning components contribute to the development of buyer trust. Manufacturers' reps overestimated the trust earning potential of the “likeable,” “competent,” and “dependable” constructs. Manufacturers' reps also held an inflated view of the overall extent to which they were trusted by purchasing executives.

Exploring Touch as a Positive Workplace Behavior

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2011

Whereas most research has focused on the negative aspects of touch in the workplace (i.e. sexual harassment), this study focuses upon the positive use of touch. In an effort to explain individual differences in the use of workplace touch, three sequential studies are used to introduce the concepts of workplace touch self-efficacy and workplace touch initiation anxiety. In Study 1 we develop scales to assess the constructs. Study 2 provides an initial examination of the construct validity of the measures developed in Study 1. Results of Study 3 indicate that supervisor reports of touch self-efficacy and physiological touch anxiety are related to subordinate reports of supervisor touch. Additionally, results show that supervisor use of touch is related to several indicators of supervisor social effectiveness. Finally, sex of the supervisor appears to play a role in workplace touch as female supervisors report less touch anxiety, greater touch self-efficacy and more use of touch than male supervisors.

The Waxing and Waning of Relational Intimacy: Touch as a Function of Relational Stage, Gender and Touch Avoidance

Article

Full-text available

May 1991
J SOC PERS RELAT

Scholars have paid increasing attention to the role of non-verbal communication within intimate relationships. Reportedly, immediate behaviors such as touch escalate opposite-sex relationships by promoting increased intimacy and psychological closeness. This study examined the effects of relational stage, gender and touch avoidance on unobtrusively coded public touch behavior. An ANOVA indicated that relational stage was curvilinearly related to public interpersonal touch such that the level of touch was higher in intermediate stage of relationships than in either initial or stable stages. Gender had no effect on touch. Instead, a high correlation was found between the amount of touch used by males and the amount of touch used by their female partners. Touch avoidance was found to be linearly related to the amount of touch displayed, with low touch avoiders touching the most and high touch avoiders touching the least. There was a strong additive effect for touch avoidance, with all three touch avoidance groups following a curvilinear pattern for relational stage. x² tests found that touch increased primarily in the hand and waist areas during the intermediate stage. Implications for the study of reciprocity, immediacy, intimacy and stage theory are discussed.

Strategies to secure compliance for a mall intercept interview

Article

Full-text available

Jan 1989

Effects of Price, Brand, and Store Information on Buyers' Product Evaluations

Article

Full-text available

Aug 1991

The authors report a study of the effects of price, brand, and store information on buyers' perceptions of product quality and value, as well as their willingness to buy. Hypotheses are derived from a conceptual model positing the effects of extrinsic cues (price, brand name, and store name) on buyers' perceptions and purchase intentions. Moreover, the design of the experiment allows additional analyses on the relative differential effects of price, brand name, and store name on the three dependent variables. Results indicate that price had a positive effect on perceived quality, but a negative effect on perceived value and willingness to buy. Favorable brand and store information positively influenced perceptions of quality and value, and subjects' willingness to buy. The major findings are discussed and directions for future research are suggested.

A Study of Same Sex Touching Attitudes: Scale Development and Personality Predictors

Article

Full-text available

Aug 1984

Attitudes toward same sex touching is an area of considerable importance to understanding sex‐role rigidity and heterosexual intimacy, and are thought to be significant to sexual adjustment and well‐being. A reliable and valid scale is needed for research on same sex touching. In this article, seven phases in the development of a Likert‐type scale measuring attitudes toward same sex touching (SSTS) are described. Phase 1 of the study was an item analysis producing part‐whole correlations ranging from .72 to .82, alpha = .98, and reproducibility = .93. Further, in Phase 2, the SSTS was shown to have moderate relationships to authoritarianism (r = ‐.38, p ≤ .01), rigidity (r = ‐.48, p ≤ .01), and socially desirable conceptions of femininity for both males (r = .46, p ≤ .01), and females (r = .31, p ≤ .01). In Phase 3 the construct validity correlations of Phase 2 were generally replicated. In Phases 4 and 5 significant correlations were found between the SSTS and Machiavellianism (r = ‐.25, p ≤ .05), religious orthodoxy (r = ‐.29, p ≤ .05), and locus of control (r = .35, p ≤ .05) for males and with radicalism—conservatism (r = .36, p ≤ .05) and self‐esteem (r = ‐.33, p ≤ .05) for females. Phase 5 yielded a ‐.77 (p ≤ .01) correlation between SSTS and the criterion touch‐avoidance measure. Finally, results from Phases 6 and 7 demonstrated promising SSTS discriminant validity. In particular, more positive attitudes were found for counseling as compared to science students. Furthermore, students working in task groups under cooperative conditions discriminate effectively on the SSTS for both self‐ and peer rankings on ease of same sex touching behavior.

A comprehensive model of customer trust in two retail stores

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2009
J SERV MANAGE

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a comprehensive model of customer trust in a retail service setting. Three levels of the customer‐to‐store relationship are simultaneously taken into account: customer to sales associates, customer to store branded products, and customer to the store itself. Design/methodology/approach Using partial least square (PLS) on a sample of 393 customers of an Italian supermarket retailer, a model linking customer trust (in the store, in store branded products and in sales associates) to overall perceived value and store loyalty intentions and behaviors is tested. Subsequently an expanded model to determine the influence of managerially controlled antecedent variables (salespeople's trustworthiness, store environment, store assortment, and communications) is estimated on the various trust levels. Findings Trust in the salesperson and trust in store branded products have positive effects on overall store trust. Store trust, in turn, increases perceived value and loyalty intentions. Looking at the drivers of the three levels of customer trust, salesperson trustworthiness positively affects only trust in the salesperson. Store environment has a positive impact only on overall trust in the store. Store communication fosters all three levels of customer trust, while store assortment increases both overall trust and trust in store branded products. Practical implications Findings of the study suggest an alternative perspective to the dominant strategies in grocery retailing services. To foster store patronage, retailers have typically invested in price cuts, promotions and loyalty schemes. Store managers may rather use sales associates, the store environment, store assortment, store branded products, and communication to foster customer trust and increase customer loyalty. Managing store brands with the goal to build trust, as opposed to increase immediate profit margins, may call for a completely different approach to private labels. Similarly, the potential relevance of interpersonal trust may suggest retailers to devote more resources to selection, recruitment and training of sales associates, and may stimulate changes in evaluation criteria, incentive schemes and reward systems. Originality/value The study aims at filling two important gaps in the literature: the scarcity of comprehensive store patronage models and the lack of exploration of the operational means of improving customer trust in retail services.

Cultural Variability in Communication

Article

Full-text available

Aug 1997

William B. Gudykunst

My purpose in this article is to introduce studying cultural variability in communication in general and this special issue in particular. I begin by examining the nature of culture. Next, I review the emic and etic approaches to studying communication and culture with a focus on the major dimensions of cultural variability used to explain communication across cultures. Following this, I examine individual-level processes that mediate the influence of culture on communication. I conclude by overviewing the articles included in this issue and discussing how they are consistent with current trends in the study of cultural variability in communication.

A Field Study of Nonverbal Communication in Germany, Italy, and the United States

Article

Full-text available

Nov 1977
COMMUN MONOGR

Robert Shuter

Examines distance, axis, and tactility patterns of people engaged in dyadic communication in Germany, Italy, and the United States and concludes that contrary to Edward Hall's position, the cultures studied are too behaviorally diverse to be classified as strictly contact or noncontact cultures. (MH)

Support Seeking and Support Giving Within Couples in an Anxiety-Provoking Situation: The Role of Attachment Styles

Article

Full-text available

Mar 1992

Examined how adult attachment styles moderate spontaneous behavior between dating couples when 1 member of the dyad is confronted with an anxiety-provoking situation. 83 dating couples were unobtrusively videotaped for 5 min in a waiting room while the woman waited to participate in an "activity" known to provoke anxiety in most people. Independent observers then evaluated each partner's behavior on several dimensions. Results revealed that persons with more secure attachment styles behaved differently than persons with more avoidant styles in terms of physical contact, supportive comments, and efforts to seek and give emotional support. Findings are discussed in the context of theory and research on attachment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Explicit Persuasive Intent and Its Impact on Success at Persuasion—The Determining Roles of Attractiveness and Likeableness

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2006

The effect on the impact of a message of explicitly stating a desire to persuade can depend on the communicator's physical attractiveness. Experiment 1 confirmed this possibility. Attractive male and female salespersons induced more positive attitudes and stronger intentions to purchase a product when they explicitly stated their desire to influence potential buyers. In contrast, unattractive salespersons were less likely to induce a favorable attitude toward the product under these conditions. Experiment 2 replicated these effects and provided evidence that they are mediated by the attribution of self-serving motives to the salesperson. A 2-step process of impression formation and attribution was used to describe the mechanisms underlying these effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

More "Touching" Observations: New Insights on Men, Women, and Interpersonal Touch

Article

Full-text available

Dec 1990

To describe sex differences in interpersonal touch, observation was made of 4,500 dyads in their teens and older in public places. The principal analyses addressed the issue of asymmetry in the initiation of touch in mixed sex dyads. Over all ages and initiating body parts, males touched females (MF touch) with the same frequency that females touched males (FM touch). However, among younger dyads, MF touch prevailed, whereas the reverse was true for older dyads. Though there was a tendency for MF touch with the hand to exceed FM touch with the hand, significant sex differences appeared only for "arm around," in which MF touch prevailed, and "arms linked," in which FM touch was more common. Analyses also addressed main effects of toucher sex and recipient sex, male–male vs female–female touch, and same- vs opposite-sex touch. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Close Encounters: Communication in Relationships

Book

Jan 2017

Third-party organization endorsement of products: An advertising cue affecting consumer prepurchase evaluation of goods and services

Article

Dec 2001

Advertisements containing product endorsements by a third-party organization (TPO), product endorsements by a celebrity, or no endorsement were compared for their ability to affect the dependent variables of perceived product quality, attitude toward the manufacturer, purchase risk, and information value of the ad. In addition, prior brand evaluation and source (endorser) trustworthiness were tested as moderators of the endorsement effect. In two factorial experiments, one for a desktop computer and one for auto insurance, significant main effects were found for endorsement and brand but not for trustworthiness. Brand interacted with endorsement in the quality perception of computers. In both experiments, TPO endorsement was particularly effective in enhancing respondent perceptions of product quality. It is concluded that TPO endorsement may function as an extrinsic quality cue in advertising.

An Examination of the Nature of Trust in Buyer-Seller Relationships

Article

Apr 1997
J MARKETING

The authors integrate theory developed in several disciplines to determine five cognitive processes through which industrial buyers can develop trust of a supplier firm and its salesperson. These processes provide a theoretical framework used to identify antecedents of trust. The authors also examine the impact of supplier firm and salesperson trust on a buying firm's current supplier choice and future purchase intentions. The theoretical model is tested on data collected from more than 200 purchasing managers. The authors find that several variables influence the development of supplier firm and salesperson trust. Trust of the supplier firm and trust of the salesperson (operating indirectly through supplier firm trust) influence a buyer's anticipated future interaction with the supplier. However, after controlling for previous experience and supplier performance, neither trust of the selling firm nor its salesperson influence the current supplier selection decision.

Support Seeking and Support Giving Within Couples in an Anxiety-Provoking Situation: The Role of Attachment Styles

Article

Mar 1992
J PERS SOC PSYCHOL

This study examined how adult attachment styles moderate spontaneous behavior between dating couples when 1 member of the dyad is confronted with an anxiety-provoking situation. Eighty-three dating couples were unobtrusively videotaped for 5 min in a waiting room while the woman waited to participate in an "activity" known to provoke anxiety in most people. Independent observers then evaluated each partner's behavior on several dimensions. Results revealed that persons with more secure attachment styles behaved differently than persons with more avoidant styles in terms of physical contact, supportive comments, and efforts to seek and give emotional support. Findings are discussed in the context of theory and research on attachment.

Interpersonal Communication in Marketing: An Overview

Article

Feb 1972

Interpersonal communication in marketing is approached from a perspective that focuses on communication signs. A classification scheme is presented and relevant literature surveyed. Directions for future research are suggested.

Marketing Universals: Consumers' Use of Brand Name, Price, Physical Appearance, and Retailer Reputation As Signals of Product Quality

Article

Apr 1994
J MARKETING

Marketing universals are defined as consumer behaviors within a segment and toward a particular product category that are invariant across cultures. Using several definitions of culture and three different criteria for universality, the authors evaluate whether the use of brand, price, retailer reputation, and physical product appearance as signals of quality are marketing universals for consumer electronics products. Using a sample representing 38 nationalities, they find that there are few differences in the use of quality signals across cultures for a high priority segment of consumers. They draw conclusions for the adaptation versus standardization debate and argue that certain behaviors are likely to be universal, whereas others are not. Understanding such differences is essential to designing international marketing strategies.

Customer Loyalty to the Salesperson and the Store: Examining Relationship Customers in an Upscale Retail Context

Article

Oct 2013

Only recently has research interest in relationship marketing and customer loyalty converged in the retail context. Although this research shows that relationship customers maintain their primary loyalty to the salesperson, which then “spills over” and affects loyalty to the store, other research suggests that salesperson loyalty has direct effects on store-level outcomes, such as spending and word of mouth. However, this has not been comprehensively investigated, and relationship researchers have specifically called for research examining the effects of salesperson and store loyalty on store-level outcomes. Our research addresses this call, and shows that in an upscale retail context a relationship customer's loyalty to the salesperson is significantly related to store loyalty as well as the important store-level outcomes of share of purchases, word of mouth and competitive resistance.

The Persuasive Effect of Salesperson Credibility: Conceptual and Empirical Examination

Article

Oct 2013

Arun Sharma

There has been extensive research on the effect of source credibility on persuasion in social psychology. This paper suggests that some of the research on source credibility in social psychology may not be valid in a personal selling situation. Thus, in a personal selling situation, relationships between buyer's prior expectations and effect of salesperson credibility are proposed and tested experimentally. Some direct effects of salesperson credibility were observed which were as suggested by social psychology research. However, inverse persuasive effects of salesperson credibility predicted by social psychology research were not observed. Managerial implications of the research are suggested and directions for future research proposed.

Gaining Customer Trust: A Conceptual Guide for the Salesperson

Article

Oct 2013

This article applies what the behavioral sciences know about trust to industrial sales situations. Trust between an industrial buyer and salesperson is defined cognitively and behaviorally. A model of this trust-building process is presented and appropriate behaviors for sales representatives who wish to build trust are discussed. The interactions between experience, general knowledge, and trust building are examined in light of possible situations a sales representative might encounter. The findings suggest that both firm and salesperson can act positively to build and maintain trust with their clients.

The Customer-Salesperson Dyad: An Interaction/Communication Model and Review

Article

Jan 1990

Although personal selling and organizational buying are recognized as critical elements in the success of most industrial firms, research progress in this area has been hindered by the lack of a comprehensive and integrative conceptual model of the customer-salesperson interaction. This paper proposes such a model which focuses on the critical element of the buyer-seller interaction, communication.

Third-Party Organization Endorsement of Products: An Advertising Cue Affecting Consumer Pre-purchase Evaluation of Goods and Services

Article

Jun 2001
J ADVERTISING

Abhijit Biswas

Advertisements containing product endorsements, by a third-party organization (TPO), product endorsements by a celebrity, or no endorsement were compared for their ability to affect the dependent variables of perceived product quality, attitude toward the manufacturer, purchase risk, and information value of the ad. In addition, prior brand evaluation and source (endorser) trustworthiness were tested as moderators of the endorsement effect. In two factorial experiments, one for a desktop computer and one for auto insurance, significant main effects were found for endorsement and brand but not for trustworthiness. Brand interacted with endorsement in the quality perception of computers. In both experiments, TPO endorsement was particularly effective in enhancing respondent perceptions of product quality. It is concluded that TPO endorsement may function as an extrinsic quality cue in advertising.

How Consumer Shopping Orientation Influences Perceived Crowding, Excitement, and Stress at the Mall

Article

Nov 2011

While a few researchers have started to chip away at the notion that retail density is always negative, extant studies do not empirically address the question of why some shoppers respond negatively to a specific level of density while others respond positively. We examine this issue by drawing upon field theory (Lewin 1939) to shed light on how shoppers vary in terms of deeper motives (McClelland 1953) to seek control or intimacy with others in retail mall settings, and whether these motives influence shopping orientations. Shopping orientation is then hypothesized to affect perceptions of crowding, and, in turn, subsequent affective responses to the mall shopping experience. Moreover, we examine whether individual differences (gender and age) can help retailers segment those with different shopping orientations and the motives that influence these orientations. We found that task and social shopping orientations were influenced by deeper motives for control and intimacy. The causal relationships between shopping motive, shopping orientation, and consumers’ affective responses of stress and excitement were also discovered. Finally, we address theoretical and managerial implications of our results.

Multidimensional trust building in e-retailing: Cross-cultural differences in trust formation and implications for perceived risk

Article

May 2012
J Retailing Consum Serv

Strategies to Secure Compliance for a Mall Intercept Interview

Article

Dec 1988

Subjects in a shopping mall were approached with a request to participate in a survey. Half the subjects were touched and gazed at by interviewers and the other half were not. These nonverbal techniques increased compliance to participate in the interviewing task and somewhat decreased respondents' perceived burden. The touch and no-touch groups did not differ in response quality, apparent response bias, or volunteer bias. Compliance was related to the gender of the interviewer but not related to that of the respondent. Implications for mall intercept surveys are discussed.

The Service Encounter-Diagnosing Favorable and Unfavorable Incidents

Article

Jan 1990
J MARKETING

The service encounter frequently is the service from the customer's point of view. Using the critical incident method, the authors collected 700 incidents from customers of airlines, hotels, and restaurants. The incidents were categorized to isolate the particular events and related behaviors of contact employees that cause customers to distinguish very satisfactory service encounters from very dissatisfactory ones. Key implications for managers and researchers are highlighted.

The Persuasive Effects of Source Credibility in Buy and Lease Situations

Article

May 1982

The persuasive impact of source credibility is examined in two situations, A highly credible source was more effective than a moderately credible source when the communication recommended buying a product, an advocacy which message recipients viewed unfavorably. The moderately credible source was more persuasive when the message advocated leasing the product, a position subjects generally supported. These findings are interpreted in terms of cognitive response theory. Practical implications of the research are suggested.

Effects of Flight Attendants' Touch upon Airline Passengers' Perceptions of the Attendant and the Airline

Article

Dec 1990

EDGAR B. WYCOFF

Airline flight attendants' touching of 158 passengers on the shoulder or forearm increased their liking of the 4 attendants and the airline in general and also their perceived flight safety.

The Interactive Effects of Touch and Touch Avoidance on Interpersonal Evaluations

Article

Jun 1988

The importance and complexity of tactile communication in a variety of interpersonal contexts is underscored in the nonverbal communication literature. However, whether touch produces positive or negative effects on interpersonal relationships may depend upon the coactants’ levels of touch avoidance. The present experimental study examined the interactive effects of touch and touch avoidance on interpersonal attraction and perceived homophily. The results of a MANOVA and follow‐up univariate tests demonstrated that interpersonal attraction and perceived homophily are dependent, in part, on the receiver's level of touch avoidance. Touch avoiders rated confederates who touched them lower in attraction and homophily than did touch approachers who were touched. A gender of confederate effect was also observed. These findings are consistent with the extant literature.

Maintaining a committed online customer: A study across search-experience-credence products

Article

Dec 2005
J RETAILING

The goal of relationship marketing is to build and maintain a committed, loyal relationship between a customer and an organization. Although studies have discussed the types of relational bonds that enhance customer loyalty, empirical research that focuses on the application of relational bonds in a virtual environment is relatively sparse. In response, this study investigates the effects of various relational bonds on customer commitment across search-experience-credence goods/services on Internet. The results suggest that financial, social, and structural bonds have positive impacts on customer commitment. In addition, financial bonds are more successful in strengthening customer commitment for search goods/services than for experience or credence goods/services. Structural bonds are more important for credence and experience goods/services than for search goods, and social bonds are almost equally important for all three types of goods/service.

Cultural variability in communication

Article

Jan 1997

W B Gudykunst

Patterns of attachment: A Psychological Study Of The Strange Situation

Article

Jan 1979

Ethological attachment theory is a landmark of 20th century social and behavioral sciences theory and research. This new paradigm for understanding primary relationships across the lifespan evolved from John Bowlby's critique of psychoanalytic drive theory and his own clinical observations, supplemented by his knowledge of fields as diverse as primate ethology, control systems theory, and cognitive psychology. By the time he had written the first volume of his classic Attachment and Loss trilogy, Mary D. Salter Ainsworth's naturalistic observations in Uganda and Baltimore, and her theoretical and descriptive insights about maternal care and the secure base phenomenon had become integral to attachment theory. Patterns of Attachment reports the methods and key results of Ainsworth's landmark Baltimore Longitudinal Study. Following upon her naturalistic home observations in Uganda, the Baltimore project yielded a wealth of enduring, benchmark results on the nature of the child's tie to its primary caregiver and the importance of early experience. It also addressed a wide range of conceptual and methodological issues common to many developmental and longitudinal projects, especially issues of age appropriate assessment, quantifying behavior, and comprehending individual differences. In addition, Ainsworth and her students broke new ground, clarifying and defining new concepts, demonstrating the value of the ethological methods and insights about behavior. Today, as we enter the fourth generation of attachment study, we have a rich and growing catalogue of behavioral and narrative approaches to measuring attachment from infancy to adulthood. Each of them has roots in the Strange Situation and the secure base concept presented in Patterns of Attachment. It inclusion in the Psychology Press Classic Editions series reflects Patterns of Attachment's continuing significance and insures its availability to new generations of students, researchers, and clinicians.

Customer Trust in the Salesperson

Article

Feb 1999
J BUS RES

The development of trust between salespeople and their customers has traditionally been considered a critical element in developing and maintaining a successful sales relationship. This article presents the first comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis of the antecedents of trust and consequences of trust in a sales context. A summary conclusion is that trust has a moderate but beneficial influence on the development of positive customer attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Another conclusion is that salespeople have modest influence over the development of trust between themselves and their customers. A comprehensive model of the role of trust in sales is presented. Directions for future research are identified.

Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis For The Behavioral Sciences

Article

Jun 1985

The role of nonverbal communication in service encounters

Article

Sep 2000
J Serv Market

Although the verbal components of service encounters have been investigated, the nonverbal aspects of employee-customer interactions have remained virtually unexplored in the marketing literature. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of service employees’ nonverbal communication during service interactions. Specifically, a conceptual model is presented that links nonverbal communication (kinesics, paralanguage, proxemics, and physical appearance), customer affect, and consumers’ evaluations of service providers (with respect to credibility, friendliness, competence, empathy, courtesy, and trustworthiness). Further, the importance of nonverbal elements is discussed and managerial implications are given.

Qualitative Research in Psychology

Article

Jan 2008

Carla Willig

A Stranger’s Touch: Effects of Accidental Interpersonal Touch on Consumer Evaluations and Shopping Time

Article

Jun 2012

Brett Martin

This article examines an unexplored area of consumer research——the effect of accidental interpersonal touch (AIT) from a stranger on consumer evaluations and shopping times. The research presents a field experiment in a retail setting. This study shows that men and women who have been touched by another consumer when examining products report more negative brand evaluations, negative product beliefs, less willingness to pay, and spend less time in-store than their control (no-touch) counterparts. Our findings indicate that the AIT effect is especially negative for touch from a male stranger for both men (same-sex touch) and women (opposite-sex touch). Directions are provided for future study that highlight potential moderators and process explanations underlying the AIT effect.

Hedonic Consumption: Emerging Concepts, Methods and Propositions

Article

Jul 1982
J MARKETING

This paper defines hedonic consumption as those facets of consumer behavior that relate to the multisensory, fantasy and emotive aspects of product usage experience. After delineating these concepts, their theoretical antecedents are traced, followed by a discussion of differences between the traditional and hedonic views, methodological implications of the latter approach, and behavioral propositions in four substantive areas relevant to hedonic consumption-mental constructs, product classes, product usage and individual differences. Conclusions concern the usefulness of the hedonic perspective in supplementing and extending marketing research on consumer behavior.

Meanings of Touch and Forgiveness: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry

Article

Apr 2000

Shann Ferch

Examines personal meanings ascribed to the experience of touch in the context of forgiveness. Data from in-depth interviews with six self-reported Christians were analyzed to determine themes in the meanings participants assigned to a forgiving touch. (Contains 54 references.) (Author)

An Integrative Model Of Organizational Trust

Article

Jul 1995

Scholars in various disciplines have considered the causes, nature, and effects of trust. Prior approaches to studying trust are considered, including characteristics of the trustor, the trustee, and the role of risk. A definition of trust and a model of its antecedents and outcomes are presented, which integrate research from multiple disciplines and differentiate trust from similar constructs. Several research propositions based on the model are presented.

Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis For The Behavioral Sciences

Book

Jan 2003

Interpersonal Touch and Compliance with a Marketing Request

Article

Mar 1982
BASIC APPL SOC PSYCH

Shoppers in a supermarket were approached with a request to sample a new food product. Half the shoppers were touched during the request and the other half were not. Touch increased the probability of both trying the food sample and buying the product. The touch and no-touch groups did not differ in their taste rating of the product. The probability of sampling or buying the product was not related to the gender of the shopper or the experimenter.

The Impact of Celebrity Spokespersons' Perceived Image on Consumers' Intention to Purchase

Article

Jan 1970

Rubina Ohanian

Examined the use of celebrity spokespeople in advertising, focusing on 3 dimensions of source credibility: attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise. Two pilot studies were conducted with 78 college students to compile a list of 4 celebrities and products that would be appropriate for them to endorse. From this information, 4 questionnaires were developed. 542 respondents (aged 18–73 yrs) completed 1 questionnaire. In each case, Ss evaluated celebrities to be significantly different from each other with respect to the 3 dimensions studied. Ss' gender and age had no significant effect on their intention to purchase or on how they evaluated celebrities' credibility. Only the perceived expertise of celebrities significantly explained Ss' intentions to purchase, regardless of whether the product was for personal use or for gift-giving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

The Effect on Tipping of a Waitress Touching Male and Female Customers

Article

Feb 1986

Tested the effect on tipping of a female waitress touching the male patron, the female patron, or neither patron, using 112 pairs of restaurant customers. Results show the average tip in the female condition was 15%, the average tip in the male condition was 13%, and the average tip in the no-touch condition was 11%. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Consumer reactions to crowded retail settings: Cross‐cultural differences between North America and the Middle East

Article

Jul 2006
PSYCHOL MARKET

Most of the research dealing with consumer–consumer interactions emphasizes the negative consequences of sharing the service experience with other consumers. Crowding, in particular, represents one of the important environmental factors affecting consumers' retail experience. However, recent studies in the context of hedonic services (e.g., amusement parks, concerts, etc.) have mentioned that crowds may potentially enhance consumers' service experience. The present study aims at demonstrating the presence of these positive consumer responses in a crowded hedonic situation, while investigating the influence of cultural differences in crowd-related issues. With the use of consumers from different cultures (North America and the Middle East), reactions to similarly crowded situations in a hedonic situation are compared. Results suggest that Middle Eastern respondents perceive both a lower level of density and appreciate crowded situations more than their North American counterparts. Potential explanations are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.