Creating particularized trust in e-retailers through experiential value and generalized trust

Abstract

Although practitioners-based survey indicated that trust in businesses and other societal institutions wane simultaneously whilst academic literatures support the view that externally sanctioned beliefs drive consumers’ trust in specific firms, the relationship between broad-level generalized kind of trust and trust in specific firms is an understanding that is yet to be empirically investigated. This paper examined the relationship between generalized trust and particularized trust as well as the mediating role of experiential value in that relationship. Data generated from 268 informants through a snowball sampling procedure indicates that generalized trust is directly related to components of particularized trust whilst components of utilitarian and hedonic value mediate the relationships between generalized trust and components of particularized trust. The implicit proposal is that e-retailers must look beyond the primary responsibility of enhancing profits and strengthen trust in their market offerings by taking managerial actions that not only ensure consistent delivery of valuable services but are consistent with public interests and opinions in the environment where they operate.