The Effects Of Imitated Kinship Between Customers And Front-line Employees On Customer Repurchase Intention: The Moderating Effects Of Communication Style And Customer Perceived Betrayal

Imitated kinship refers to a kind of relationship building upon the similar personalbackground. This study examines the relationship between imitated kinship and customerrepurchase intention. Study1explores how imitated kinship do effect on customer purchaseintention and examine the mediating effects of social distance and intimacy. This article alsoexplores the moderating effect of front-line employees’ communication style on the relationshipbetween imitated kinship and customer perceived social distance and intimacy. Study2investigates the moderating effects of customer perceived betrayal on the relationship betweenimitated kinship and customer repurchase intention. Through experimental method, the authorcan draw the conclusions as follows:(1) Imitated kinship will do effect on customer purchase intention by the mediating effects ofintimacy.(2) Front-line employees’ communication style will moderate the effects of imitated kinshipon customer perceived intimacy. When there is imitated kinship, interaction-oriented style ismore conducive to enhance intimacy. However, whether there is imitated kinship or not,interaction-oriented style is more conducive to reduce social distance.(3) The degree and the type of customer perceived betrayal will moderate the effects ofimitated kinship on customer repurchase intention. Under the condition that customers perceivelow level betrayal, while there is imitated kinship between customers and front-line employee,customers repurchase intention will be lower compared to the stranger relationship condition.Under the condition that customers perceive the betrayal is not related to the front-line employee,customers repurchase intention will be higher compared to the stranger relationship conditionwhile there is imitated kinship between customers and front-line employee. Under the conditionthat customers perceive the betrayal is at a high level or the betrayal is related to the front-lineemployee, customers repurchase intention is not significant between the conditions that there isimitated kinship between customers and front-line employee and the stranger relationshipcondition.