The Reciprocal Role of Trust in Customer Value Co-Creation

Abstract

The main purpose of this research was to investigate the reciprocal nature of trust in a service provider, established through consumer involvement in value co-creation. Grounded in service-dominant logic and social exchange theory, the study used an existing consumer-generated co-creation contest by a popular U.S.-based coffee-shop brand. When examining customer involvement with value co-creation (N = 510), the covariance-based structural equation model test of recursive versus sequential trust models revealed that trust served as both a significant antecedent and an outcome of value co-creation and is reciprocal in nature. The findings provide support for trust networks as necessary condition for successful value co-creation. Finally, theoretical implications for service-dominant logic and social exchange theory are presented and practical implications discussed.

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