Trust during retail encounters: A touchy proposition |
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Authors: | Ulrich R. Orth Tatiana Bouzdine-Chameeva Kathrin Brand |
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Affiliation: | 1. A&F Marketing, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Wilhelm-Seelig-Platz 6/7, 24098 Kiel, Germany;2. Information and Decision Sciences, BEM-Bordeaux Management School, 680 cours de la Libération, 33405 Talence Cedex, France;3. Ehrenberg-Bass Institute of Marketing Science, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia |
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Abstract: | 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. |
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Keywords: | France Germany Salesperson Quality Trust Touch Wine |
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