Consumer relationship proneness: a reexamination and extension across service exchanges

Purpose – This paper aims to answer two key questions focused on increasing the understanding of consumer relationship proneness (CRP) and its role in customer relationship management. First, is CRP linked to trust and other relationship outcomes (e.g. customer share, adherence)? Second, does the nature of the service exchange (transactional versus relational) affect the association between CRP and commitment and trust? Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected in three contexts: 270 travel industry call center customers, 345 insurance agency clients, and 897 patients responded to our surveys about their business relationships. Findings – Structural modeling analysis and t ‐statistic comparisons revealed that CRP is associated with trust and other important outcomes (i.e. share of customer and adherence) and that the nature of the service exchange moderates the association between CRP and commitment and trust. Specifically, as the nature of the service exchange moves from transactional to relational, the influence of CRP on commitment and trust strengthens. Research limitations/implications – Because CRP cannot be inferred from commonly measured variables, including measures of CRP, is important for relationship marketing and customer relationship management researchers. Practical implications – Managers need to seek a greater understanding of individual consumer differences and to identify CRP in order to better manage customer relationships. Originality/value – This paper is the first to report a direct association between CRP and trust. It is also the first to report the moderating influence of relationship type on the association between both CRP and commitment and CRP and trust.