Digital Customer Misconduct : An Emergent Theory-Driven Framework

While ubiquitous digital access has positively transformed the world in many ways, firms are also concerned about digital attacks from a small portion of customers, such as scammers, review bombers, and trolls. Without an overarching strategy to address digital customer misconduct, firms may face financial and reputational risks. In this study, we present an integrative theoretical framework for marketing theory and practice. We begin by defining digital customer misconduct and highlighting the unique characteristics that distinguish it from traditional offline misconduct. Based on this definition, we propose a 2 × 2 typology that categorizes different types of misconduct according to the miscreants' motives: monetary rewards (economic gain) and/or harming social others (social victimization). We collate strategies that have been widely used in practice to combat digital customer misconduct proactively and reactively; these prevention and mitigation strategies expand or curtail the opportunities available to miscreants. Overall, our framework provides a comprehensive understanding of the current ecosystem of digital customer misconduct and identifies future research opportunities