Overcoming vulnerability: Channel design strategies to alleviate vulnerability perceptions in customer journeys
Research has shown that any individual consumer, regardless of membership in any particular class, may experience vulnerability in the marketplace. While studies have identified core determinants of customer vulnerability states and perceptions and outlined their impact on consumers and firms, there is little research on how channel design, as part of service design strategies, can be employed to alleviate or prevent states and perceptions of vulnerability. This study extends the current literature on customer vulnerability by developing a framework that delineates determinants and consequences of vulnerability that manifest in problems of accessing or processing resources. We outline three relevant channel design strategies that service providers might employ to alleviate vulnerability: (1) flexibility through multiple multichannel paths, (2) guidance through constrained channel paths and (3) proactive initiation of interactions. Additionally, we propose a future research agenda and offer recommendations for managerial practice regarding how to identify customer vulnerability and employ countermeasures.
History
School
- Business and Economics
Department
- Business
Published in
Journal of Business ResearchVolume
116Pages
377-386Publisher
Elsevier BVVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Rights holder
© ElsevierPublisher statement
This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Journal of Business Research and the definitive published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.027Acceptance date
2019-07-19Publication date
2019-07-30Copyright date
2020ISSN
0148-2963Publisher version
Language
- en