Trust of Potential Buyers in New Entrepreneurial Ventures: An Analysis of Trust Drivers, the Relevance for Purchase Intentions, and the Moderating Effect of Product or Service Qualities

Acquiring the first customers is a make-or-break challenge for new ventures. In how far does the trust of a potential future customer in a new venture influence his decision to purchase? How can an entrepreneur convey trustworthiness in order to influence the decision? Gunnar Wiedenfels responds to these questions with an empirical study testing a theory-based model of trust, its drivers, and its effect on purchase intentions. The data sample considers interesting comparisons between industries and business phases of the supplier firm. Interested practitioners will find actionable recommendations on how to present their enterprise most trustworthy to acquire new customers.