Making a first impression as a start-up: Strategies to overcome low initial trust perceptions in digital innovation adoption

Konya-Baumbach, Elisa; Schuhmacher, Monika C.; Kuester, Sabine; Kuharev, Victoria (2019). Making a first impression as a start-up: Strategies to overcome low initial trust perceptions in digital innovation adoption International Journal of Research in Marketing, 36(3), pp. 385-399. Elsevier 10.1016/j.ijresmar.2019.01.008

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High failure rates of digital innovations by start-ups indicate that consumers' initial trust perceptions are make-or-break for their survival. Hence, start-ups have to design adequate business models to manage consumers' initial trust perceptions of digital innovations. Five experiments explore how start-ups can signal trustworthiness in order to overcome low initial trust perceptions and boost adoption. We find three specific design strategies of start-ups' digital business models – customer ratings, benefit communication, and revenue model – to be effective to overcome low initial trust perceptions and to increase adoption of digital innovations. The findings demonstrate that initial trust serves as a critical mediator in the relationship between these design strategies and consumers' adoption intentions. Additionally, the chosen revenue model has differential effects on privacy concerns, which mediate the relationship between revenue model and initial trust. The present empirical insights help start-ups to craft business model design strategies for successful digital innovation launch.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	Business School > Institute for Marketing & Global Management > Marketing Business School
Name:	Konya-Baumbach, Elisa; Schuhmacher, Monika C.; Kuester, Sabine and Kuharev, Victoria
ISSN:	0167-8116
Publisher:	Elsevier
Language:	English
Submitter:	Elisa Konya-Baumbach
Date Deposited:	01 Mar 2023 10:19
Last Modified:	01 Mar 2023 10:19
Publisher DOI:	10.1016/j.ijresmar.2019.01.008
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Start-up Digital innovation Digital business model Initial trust Privacy concerns Adoption intention
ARBOR DOI:	10.24451/arbor.18871
URI:	https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/18871