Abstract The current study builds a dual influencing path model to explore the effect of the interpersonal relationship between villagers and retailer on store patronage intention in rural retailing environment, using data from a survey of 328 questionnaires from Henan and Shandong province. The results suggest that the interpersonal relationship between villagers and retailer has a positive effect on retailer trust which in turn has a positive effect on store patronage intention, and the interpersonal relationship also has a positive effect on upward social comparison intention which in turn decrease store patronage intention. In addition, we find out the function boundary of this dual mechanism model compared with search goods, when villagers purchasing experience goods, the mediating role of the trust is stronger; compared with experience goods, when villagers purchasing search goods, the mediating role of villagers’ upward social comparison is stronger. What’s more, reciprocal belief could undermine the negative effect of upward social comparison on store patronage intention.
LI Kun,LI Yanjun,CHEN Tong. A Dual Mechanism Effect of Interpersonal Relationship on Store Patronage Intention in Rural Retailing Environment[J]. Chinese Journal of Management, 2019, 16(1): 116-.
