Trust is Dead. Long Live Trust! Why Long-Term Customer Loyalty is Still Driven by Trusted Relationships

Two foundational and interdependent concepts remain fundamental to driving long-term customer loyalty: reciprocal trust between a buyer and seller, and the flip side of the same coin, the buyer-seller relationship.

In this study we set out to examine these concepts and their impact on long-term loyalty, testing our hypotheses with a survey of more than 1,600 consumers in the largest markets worldwide. Our findings pinpoint the antecedents and consequences of a Trust-Relationship model and show that, far from diminishing in importance, these concepts are vital today in driving sustained sales success.