Research on Mechanisms of Customer-Oriented Deviance on Brand Trust: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Benefit / Uncertainty and the Moderating Role of Customer Involvement

Figures & data

Figure 1 Research model.

Table 1 Reliability Test and Validity Analysis of Variables

Variable	Items	Factor Loading	CR	AVE
Deviant service adaptation α = 0.767	Service staff makes informal changes to the service content.	0.661	0.532	0.772
	Service staff alters the products they provide in the service by bending the rules.	0.805
	Service staff departs from company guidelines to change their product offerings.	0.715
Deviant use of resources α = 0.838	Service staff spends extra time assisting me even if it is not within the scope of duties.	0.758	0.567	0.839
	Service staff spends extra time on my matters even if the company may consider them irrelevant.	0.779
	Service staff uses the company’s resources to help me even if the company may see this as a waste.	0.726
	Service staff uses the company’s tools/equipment to solve my problems even if the company may consider them irrelevant.	0.747
Deviant service communication α = 0.844	Service staff tells me about problems with the company/product when they think it is necessary.	0.669	0.524	0.846
	Service staff hints to me on the way the company works even if the company may prefer they not to.	0.755
	Service staff tells the truth about their products even if it turns me away.	0.736
	Service staff provides me with the best advice about the product(s) even if losing their business.	0.660
	Service staff provides me with honest advice about the company/product even if it is negative.	0.791
Perceived benefits α = 0.805	The service staff has given me practical benefits.	0.776	0.510	0.806
	I think the service staff can meet my needs.	0.689
	Compared to what I got, the time and cost I spent on this purchase I think were worth it.	0.728
	Overall I think this purchase was worth it	0.659
Perceived uncertainty α = 0.814	I am not sure the service staff’s information is accurate. I feel difficult to determine whether the product is suitable for me.	0.822	0.688	0.815
Brand trust α = 0.814	This brand makes me feel safe and secure.	0.731	0.531	0.818
	I know this brand will be responsible for its behaviors.	0.697
	I think this brand is trustworthy.	0.816
	This brand is actually performing as I expected.	0.662

Table 2 Demographic Characteristics of the Sample (N=468)

Variable	Category	Frequency	Percentage (%)
Gender	Male	242	51.71
	Female	226	48.29
Age	<18 years	16	3.42
	18–25 years	164	35.04
	26–30 years	113	24.15
	31–40 years	90	19.23
	41–50 years	56	11.97
	51–60 years	20	4.27
	>60 years	9	1.92
Occupation	Students	127	27.14
	The staff of enterprises	129	27.56
	The staff of institutions	85	18.16
	Individuals and merchants	69	14.74
	Freelancer	51	10.90
	Others	7	1.50
Education degree	High school or below	69	14.74
	Associate degree	78	16.67
	Bachelor’s degree	242	51.71
	Master’s degree or above	79	16.88
Monthly income	<2000¥	93	19.87
	2000–4000¥	104	22.22
	4000–6000¥	137	29.27
	6000–8000¥	82	17.52
	>8000¥	52	11.11

Table 3 Results of Discriminant Validity of Variables

	Deviant Service Adaptation	Deviant Use of Resources	Deviant Service Communication	Perceived Benefits	Perceived Uncertainty	Brand Trust
Deviant service adaptation	0.772
Deviant use of resources	0.028***	0.839
Deviant service communication	0.021*	0.024***	0.845
Perceived benefits	0.027***	0.031***	0.022***	0.806
Perceived uncertainty	0.034	0.04***	0.035***	0.036***	0.815
Brand trust	0.028***	0.033***	0.023***	0.029***	0.041***	0.818
Square root of AVE	0.879	0.916	0.919	0.898	0.903	0.904

Notes: * p<0.05; *** p<0.001; The values on the diagonal represent the AVE of each variable.

Table 4 Basic Path Test of the Model

Path in the Model	Standardized Path Coefficient	Standard Error	T-value	Hypothesis	P-value
Deviant service adaptation → Perceived benefits	0.293	0.059	5.121	Supporting	0.000
Deviant use of resources → Perceived benefits	0.433	0.051	7.584	Supporting	0.000
Deviant service communication → Perceived uncertainty	0.369	0.096	5.988	Supporting	0.000
Perceived benefits → Brand trust	0.439	0.062	7.623	Supporting	0.000
Perceived uncertainty → Brand trust	−0.249	0.041	−4.666	Supporting	0.000

Table 5 Bootstrap Analysis of the Intermediate Effects Test (Standardized Coefficients)

Path in the Model	Effect	Boot SE	Bias-Corrected 95% CI
			Boot LLCI	Boot ULCI	P-value
Deviant service adaptation → Perceived benefits → Brand trust	0.129	0.029	0.074	0.189	0.000
Deviant use of resources → Perceived benefits → Brand trust	0.190	0.036	0.123	0.265	0.000
Deviant service communication → Perceived uncertainty → Brand trust	−0.092	0.023	−0.144	−0.052	0.000

Table 6 Moderated Model Tests for Customer Involvement

Resulting Variables	Independent Variable	β	T	R²	F
Perceived benefits	Gender	0.054	0.839	0.111	9.558
	Age	−0.031	−1.269
	Income	0.007	0.262
	DSA	0.259	6.754***
	CI	−0.029	−0.480
	DSA*CI	−0.165	−2.144*	0.160	14.628
Perceived benefits	Gender	0.039	0.629
	Age	−0.019	−0.816
	Income	0.004	0.153
	DUR	0.350	8.733***
	CI	−0.001	−0.993
	DUR*CI	−0.180	−2.238*
Perceived uncertainty	Gender	−0.172	−1.812	0.107	9.169
	Age	−0.019	−0.528
	Income	−0.094	−2.362*
	DSC	0.364	5.647***
	CI	0.034	0.379
	DSC*CI	−0.265	−2.035*

Note: * and *** represent P <0.05 and P <0.001 respectively.

Table 7 Direct Effects at Different Levels of Customer Involvement

	Customer Involvement	Effect	SE	LLCI	ULCI
Direct action (DSA)	−0.509 (M-1SD)	0.343	0.051	0.242	0.444
	0.491 (M+1SD)	0.178	0.057	0.066	0.290
Direct action (DUR)	−0.509 (M-1SD)	0.442	0.055	0.334	0.550
	0.491 (M+1SD)	0.262	0.058	0.147	0.377
Direct action (DSC)	−0.509 (M-1SD)	0.499	0.083	0.335	0.662
	0.491 (M+1SD)	0.234	0.099	0.040	0.428

Abbreviations: DSA, deviant service adaptation; DUR, deviant uses of resources; DSC, deviant service communication.

Figure 2 The moderating role of customer involvement in deviant service adaptation and perceived benefits.

Figure 3 The moderating role of customer involvement in deviant use of resources and perceived benefits.

Figure 4 The moderating role of customer involvement in deviant service communication and perceived uncertainty.