Online Relationship Marketing and Affective Customer Commitment-The Mediating Role of Trust

Information technologies are increasingly becoming pervasive in the relationships between businesses and their customers. However, there is a dearth of research conceptualising the observed link between technology and... [ view full abstract ]

Information technologies are increasingly becoming pervasive in the relationships between businesses and their customers. However, there is a dearth of research conceptualising the observed link between technology and relationship marketing; particularly the role of commitment and trust in developing and maintaining successful firm-customer relationships within an online setting. Thus, this research aims to determine the relationship between online relationship marketing practices and affective customer commitment; and how this relationship is mediated by trust within the Ghanaian banking industry. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural path modelling were used to test the impact of five key online relationship marketing practices: engagement, interactivity, advocacy, personalisation and collaboration on affective commitment, and how trust mediates these relationships. The findings indicate that advocacy and collaboration have a direct relationship with affective commitment. But, the impact of engagement and personalisation on affective commitment is mediated by trust in the Ghanaian banking industry. Nonetheless, interactivity does not have a direct relationship with affective customer commitment; neither is it indirectly related to affective commitment through trust. The study suggests that the extent of usage of the internet by a bank can affect the outcome of the relational exchange between the bank and its customers.