Looking for transparency in data and digital marketing practices: an empirical investigation on the roles of consumer digital literacy and privacy concerns
(A2019-8864)

AUTHORS

Audrey PORTES, MRM Marketing; Gilles N'Goala, Institut Montpellier Management ; Anne-Sophie Cases, IAE Montpellier

KEYWORDS

transparency; digital literacy; customer engagement

ABSTRACT

The growth of digital services has led to an increasing demand for transparency. This article proposes a three dimensional conceptualization of digital transparency (objectivity, limpidity, openness) and examines how customer’s digital literacy and privacy concerns influence the way they perceive their provider’s transparency and, indirectly, their engagement to their provider. Based on an empirical research study in e-commerce (N=445), this research demonstrates the differential effects of objective and subjective digital literacies on perceived transparency and examines how customers’ privacy concerns lower each dimension of perceived transparency. Finally, since each dimension of perceived transparency actually influence customer engagement, this paper urges firms to pay a specific attention to customer segments with a lower digital literacy and a higher concern for privacy.