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Cited by 191Customer Service Quality and LoyaltyConsumer Retail Behavior StudiesConsumer Market Behavior and Pricing

A comprehensive model of customer trust in two retail stores

Guenzi, Paolo, Johnson, Michael D., Castaldo, Sandro·2009·Journal of Service Management
DOI 10.1108/09564230910964408
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Abstract

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.

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Crossref · 10.1108/09564230910964408

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Authors
Guenzi, P., Johnson, M. D., & Castaldo, S.
Affiliations
  • Bocconi University (IT)
  • Cornell University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Service Management
Publisher
Emerald
Published
2009-06-19
Volume
20
Issue
3
Pages
290-316
ISSN
1757-5818 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1108/09564230910964408
OpenAlex
W2079928609
Cited by
191
References
117
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 11
FWCI
13.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.emerald.com/insight/site-policies (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of service management (publishedVersion)
  • Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • eCommons (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • Archivio istituzionale della Ricerca - Bocconi (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Customer Service Quality and Loyalty
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Retail Behavior Studies
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Market Behavior and Pricing
Keywords
consumer trust, retail stores, sales associates, store atmosphere, store assortment, store communication, perceived value, store loyalty, loyalty intention, private labels, supermarket retail, store patronage

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