Successful complaint handling on social media predicts increased repurchase intention: the roles of trust in company and propensity to trust

This study investigates the relationships between company responses to social media complaints and consumers’ repurchase intentions. An online survey collected data from 325 participants who complained on social media. The relationship between repurchase intention and the five dimensions of complaint handling (timeliness, redress, apology, credibility, and attentiveness) as mediated by consumers’ trust in company were examined and consumers’ propensity to trust was studied as a moderator in this relationship. The results suggest receiving a response and four dimensions of the response (redress, apology, credibility, and attentiveness) are related to stronger repurchase intention through the mediation of increased trust in company. Furthermore, consumers who are low on propensity to trust report a stronger repurchase intention when they perceive the credibility of the company to be high in handling the complaint.