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Cited by 28Digital Marketing and Social MediaCustomer Service Quality and LoyaltyPrivacy, Security, and Data Protection

Digital transparency: Dimensions, antecedents and consequences on the quality of customer relationships

Portes, Audrey, N’Goala, Gilles, Cases, Anne-Sophie·2020·Recherche et Applications en Marketing (English Edition)
DOI 10.1177/2051570720973548
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Abstract

This research focuses on transparency in a digital environment, examines how it is perceived by customers through different evaluations (perceived clarity, objectivity, and openness), and examines how each of these dimensions affects customer trust and engagement to the brand. It pointed out that judgments of transparency differ according to the relationship that consumers have personally developed with their digital environment (literacy, consumer acumen, and concern for privacy). Based on an empirical study conducted in e-commerce ( N = 445), the results show that perceived clarity – unlike perceived objectivity – is accompanied by a decline in trust and has a direct impact on engagement. On the contrary, perceived openness encourages engagement but not trust. This research highlights how consumer literacy and consumer acumen promote the perception of transparency, while concern for privacy degrades it. Theoretical and practical implications are then drawn from this research.

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Crossref · 10.1177/2051570720973548

Cites

80 of 80 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • La transparencia en la comunicación es un factor determinante en la percepción que los consumidores tienen de las empresas en el marco de la responsabilidad social corporativa.

    “A este respecto, la transparencia en la comunicación se presenta como un factor determinante en la percepción que los consumidores tienen de las empresas en el marco de la responsabilidad social corporativa.”

    From Responsabilidad social corporativa y equidad de género en el entorno digital (2025) · cites this paper as Portes et al. (2020)

  • Portes et al. (2020) destacan que la claridad, objetividad y apertura en la comunicación empresarial son elementos que impactan directamente en la confianza y el compromiso del cliente.

    “Este hallazgo es consistente con la literatura, como lo señala Portes et al. (2020), quien destaca que la claridad, objetividad y apertura en la comunicación empresarial son elementos que impactan directamente en la confianza y el compromiso del cliente.”

    From Responsabilidad social corporativa y equidad de género en el entorno digital (2025) · cites this paper as Portes et al. (2020)

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

1 of the 81 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 22

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  11. Morrongiello C (2014) De l’empowerment à l’engagement du client sur les plateformes en ligne. . . ou comment favoriser l’activité des clients sur internet. Doctoral Thesis, Université de Savoie, Chambéry.
  12. Norusis M (1993) SPSS for Windows: Advanced Statistics. Chicago, IL: SOSS Inc.
  13. Paulin M (1998) Services management and relationships in business-to-business exchanges: A comparison of commercial banking in Canada and Mexico. Doctoral Dissertation, Université Du Québec, Montréal, QC, Canada.
  14. Pirson M, Malhotra D (2007) What Matters to Whom? Managing Trust across Multiple Stakeholder Groups. Cambridge, MA: The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations.
  15. Pirson M, Malhotra D (2008) Unconventional insights for managing stakeholder trust. MIT Sloan Management Review 49(4): 43–50.
  16. Prim-Allaz I, Perrien J, Pras B (2001) Les apports de la théorie du contrat social à l’explication des ruptures de relations de long terme entre organisations: une application aux relations banques/PME. In: 17th international congress of the French marketing association, Deauville, May.
  17. Pruche L (2015) L’empowerment psychologique du consommateur: Contexte, mécanismes et conséquences. Doctoral Thesis, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse.
  18. Rawlins B (2008) Measuring the relationship between organizational transparency and employee trust. Public Relations Journal 2(2): 2–22.
  19. Schumann H, von Wangenheim F, Groene N (2014) Targeted online advertising: Using reciprocity appeals to increase acceptance among users of free web services. American Marketing Association 78: 59–75.
  20. 10.2307/259287 · DOI
  21. Westin A (1967) Privacy and Freedom. New York: Atheneum.
  22. Yang H (2013) Young American consumers’ online privacy concerns, trust, risk, social media use, and regulatory support. Journal of New Communications Research 5(1): 1–30.

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Related

Authors
Portes, A., N’Goala, G., & Cases, A.-S.
Affiliations
  • Aix-Marseille Université (FR)
  • Université de Montpellier (FR)
Corresponding author
Portes, Audrey
ORCID
Venue
Recherche et Applications en Marketing (English Edition)
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2020-12
Volume
35
Issue
4
Pages
72-98
ISSN
2051-5707 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1177/2051570720973548
OpenAlex
W3117603624
Semantic Scholar
60d0ddbd35c6d9ec9d5f4ca194c3521607d93c73
Cited by
26
References
81
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 2
FWCI
2.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Recherche et Applications en Marketing (English Edition) (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Marketing and Social Media
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Customer Service Quality and Loyalty
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Privacy, Security, and Data Protection
Keywords
digital transparency, perceived clarity, perceived objectivity, consumer trust, customer engagement, customer relationship quality, privacy concerns, e-commerce

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