Inter- versus intra-channel trust transfer on an online-to-offline (O2O) platform

Abstract

The existing literature acknowledges the important role of trust between a firm and its customers but pays little attention to the dynamics of trust during the process of trust transfer. Our case study of the emergence of Doctor & You in China, a medical online-to-offline (O2O) platform, and identifies three phases of interaction between customers, merchants, and the platform and how the critical contributing factors impact the development of institutional, cognitive, and affective trust across the different phases. The results suggest a staged model for trust transfer through both inter- and intra-channels, revealing the dynamic aspect of the trust transfer process on an O2O platform.