This paper explores how financing frictions shape the formation of a customer base. Since a customer base cannot be pledged as collateral, current expenses involved in attracting customers are likely to be financed internally. Hence, liquidity-constrained firms will underinvest in the expansion...

This paper studies customer loyalty during aggregate downturns. Exploiting a French reform that restricted trade credit supply as a liquidity shock, we show that liquidity-constrained firms export 4 to 7% less after the 2008-9 trade collapse. Consistent with liquidity-constrained firms investing...