Sales and Merchandising Commons^™

Trust Migration In The Digital Era: Information Regimes And The Transformation Of Buyer–Seller Relationships, Stephen C. Carlson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Business-to-business selling is being reshaped by rapid advances in digital platforms, enterprise systems, analytics, and artificial intelligence. Organizational buyers increasingly rely on algorithmic tools, peer communities, institutional certifications, and automated evaluation systems before engaging directly with sales representatives. Yet much of the buyer–seller trust literature continues to emphasize interpersonal communication quality, listening behaviors, and individual credibility as primary drivers of relational success.

This article argues that the central transformation in contemporary selling is not the erosion of trust, but its relocation. As technological infrastructures evolve, trust progressively migrates from individual sales representatives to organizational systems, platforms, governance mechanisms, and algorithmic …

Analysis Of Consumer Response To Online Same-Day Grocery Delivery Service: The Case Of Korea, Hyun Sang An, Arim Park, Ju Myung Song, Christina Chung

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Trusted Advisor: Reality Or Fading Myth?, Stephen C. Carlson, Susanna Warnock, Gerald Sullivan, Margaret Ryder

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The role of trusted advisor has long differentiated the role of community banking from traditional national banks in its relationship with small businesses. This study serves two purposes. First is to confirm presence of a trusted advisor relationship and secondly, understand the impact of digital banking services on the community banker – small business owner relationship. Using data collected in a survey of community bankers and small business owners in five southeastern United States, this study assesses the viability of the trusted advisor construct by applying the Integrative Model of Organizational Trust (Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman, 1995, 2007), trust-building behaviors …

The Impact Of User-Generated Content And Online Reaction Videos On The Marketing Of Video Games, Diane R. Edmondson, Randy Clark, Trevor Golter

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Modern developments in social media, video streaming platforms, and user-generated online content from influencers have led to a growth in video game marketing. One of the prominent genres of user-generated content on video platforms is the reaction video. These videos are relied upon for spreading information and marketing in the video game industry. Providing a better understanding of the impact of this video game promotional outlet is beneficial for marketers, social media influencers, and businesses in this industry. We collected data from 623 Southeastern University undergraduate students to address this topic using a Qualtrics survey. The survey consisted of two …

Social Media Influencers’ Impact On Curated Subscription Purchases, Ker Xiong

Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations

Subscriptions gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that consumers would have access to their products without human contact. As consumers emerged from lockdown, marketers faced the challenge of whether consumers will continue to purchase subscriptions and how to attract customers now that in-store shopping has resumed. The purpose of this study is to investigate how user generated content (UGC), promotion, and trust impact the purchase intention of curated box subscriptions with social media influencers (SMI) serving as a moderating variable. The stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework was used to model how UGC, promotion, and trust can impact curated subscription purchases …

Selling Trust: The Evolution Of Relationship Selling In The Investment Industry, Kaden N. Kroslak, Frederik Beuk

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This honors research project examines how relationship selling in the investment industry, especially within registered investment advisory firms, has evolved over time. Advisor-client relationships are being shaped by technology, analytics, regulations, and a frenzy of information. This literature review explores whether the stated factors of technology, credibility, regulations, information access, and fiduciary duty, caused change in how investment advisors create, maintain, and grow client relationships within the context of trust. The project styling, in form of a literature review analyzes peer-reviewed studies on financial technology, artificial intelligence, psychological approaches, and regulatory systems. The outcome is a paper which helps fill …

Mediating Effect Of Mobile Banking Trust On Information And System Quality, Marko Van Deventer

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

In the context of mobile banking services, trust emerges as a pivotal factor influencing both the acceptance and utilisation of these services, significantly shaping customers' confidence in their usage. Existing literature proposes that trust operates as a mediator in the connection between customers' perceptions of the quality of information and the overall system in mobile banking.

This study aimed to investigate whether trust acts as a mediating variable in the relationship between information and system quality within the mobile banking experiences of Generation Y customers in the South African banking sector. Employing a descriptive research design, the study distributed self-administered …

Zoomer Generation: Used Car Automobile Purchasing Behaviors, Scott E. Whitaker, Joe Spencer, Giovanni Calise

AMTP Proceedings 2024

There is a growing trend of online automobile purchasing that is altering the relationship between consumers and automobile dealerships. Consumers are more informed and seek a larger variety of inventory and options when shopping for used vehicles. The online marketplace provides a viable alternative to local dealerships who have hereto dominated much of the market. This research shows the current generation of Zoomers is helping to drive this trend which has significant marketing implications toward the industry. There remains a gap in the academic body of knowledge examining this behavior in relation to large online purchases such as automobiles. This …

Trust Relationships: Tales From The Web, Magdoleen Ierlan

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Trust is an important component of any purchasing situation. In an online setting, trust becomes even more important as buyer and seller are not able to directly interact with one another. Compounding the situation is the fact that the consumer cannot directly experience the product under consideration. Organizations have attempted to address this shortcoming by allowing third parties to offer reviews of the product in question. This paper addresses how consumers process these product reviews.

By rooting this paper in trust and uncertainty reduction theory, a testable model was developed. The model was tested, and in general, more helpful reviews, …

Advising Communication In Finance, Jordan J. Schumann

Communication Studies

Communication is an important factor in relationships. When it comes to financial advising and the advisors’ relationship with their clients, it is no different. However, the driving factor of what makes a client choose one advisor over another remains in question. As such a question builds: what does an advisor do to maintain a client and promote gaining new ones? This study examines the experiences current advisors have had in their respective careers. To examine this topic, communication theories (Social Cognitive Theory, Source Credibility Theory, and Uncertainty Reduction Theory) are called upon to inform the outcomes of advisors' experiences. The …

Progressive Trust Formation Within The South African Fresh Produce Industry Through The Use Of Self-Service Technologies, Justy Range, Awie C. Leonard Phd

The African Journal of Information Systems

When using self-service solutions to deliver services the challenge is to retain the trust of the end user. This is specifically the case when dealing with end users in the fresh produce market environment. This sector has not seen the adoption of self-service technologies specifically in southern Africa. In this paper we propose a model to enhance our understanding of trust formation using self-service technologies. A qualitative research approach, based on a case study was followed to create the model. This case study offers insight into how the dynamics of the product, supporting services and the technology shapes trust forming …

A Qualitative Investigation On Consumer Trust In Mobile Commerce, Keng Siau, Hong Sheng, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Sidney A. Davis

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Mobile commerce represents a significant development in e-commerce, offering accessibility, ubiquity, mobility, and localisation to users. Despite the potential of mobile commerce, trust is a major obstacle in its adoption and development. Many consumers feel uncomfortable with the idea of conducting commerce over wireless, hand-held devices. The focus of this research is to understand trust in mobile commerce and to identify factors that are important for trust development. The research builds on Siau and Shen's framework which depicts two key factors influencing trust in mobile commerce. This research not only validates and expands on the existing framework, but also provides …