Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how frontline employee self-disclosure influences consumers' reciprocal behavior. To investigate the effects of frontline employee self-disclosure, two experiments were conducted with a total sample of 475 participants. The results show that when frontline employees disclose personal information in one-time encounters, they are perceived as less competent and more superficial. The results also show that self-disclosure negatively affects reciprocal behavior, but that this is mediated through liking, competence, superficiality, and satisfaction. These findings suggest that it is not always beneficial for employees to use self-disclosure as a strategy for garnering a consumer's trust or satisfaction, which counters previous research that suggest that disclosure of personal information is a good way to positively influence consumers in the retail environment.
Original language | English |
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Peer-reviewed scientific journal | Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services |
Volume | 30 |
Pages (from-to) | 40-49 |
Number of pages | 10 |
ISSN | 0969-6989 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01.05.2016 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article - refereed |
Keywords
- 512 Business and Management
- Encounter experience
- Frontline employee
- Reciprocal behavior
- Satisfaction
- Self-disclosure
- Social impression