Reversing the dependency-trust relationship in B2C services

Abstract

While the existing notion of customer dependency in the business-to-business literature is that it facilitates trust, this study proposes that the relationship works in reverse for services firm–consumer dependency relationships. Using partial least squares-based structural equation modeling, the study provides evidence that rapport through service interactions and the mediation impact of competence, contractual, and goodwill trust build an evoked set of services in consumers’ minds, making them dependent on the firm at a cognitive level. However, most of the moderated and moderated mediation roles of relationship age and frequency are found as non-significant except relationship age as a moderated mediator between goodwill trust and consumer dependency relationship. Implications are provided for the services relationship literature and services firms.