Identifying the concept of customer trust in blockchain-based digital advertising: Model development with grounded theory

In the unpredictable and dynamic environment of digital and electronic marketing, customer trust is the most important prerequisite for the success of advertising and identifying its components in blockchain technology (despite its features such as transparency and security as a digital tool) is very important. Therefore, the present study was designed and conducted to investigate various aspects of customer trust in blockchain-based advertising.

The present study is developmental and applied in terms of purpose and its goals could be achieved using grounded theory (systematic approach of Strauss and Corbin). The required data were collected using in-depth interviews (through snowball sampling) and theoretical saturation was reached after ten interviews.

Results were presented in the standard of six-component paradigm model. Trust in blockchain-based digital advertising was recognized as axial phenomenon and its relationship with other factors including causal conditions (customer, advertising and advertiser characteristics), contextual conditions (blockchain nature, technology context, marketing context), intervening conditions (normative factors, advertising executive factors), strategies (marketing and advertising improvement), and finally, consequences (customer, advertiser, social) were revealed.

Blockchain technology, despite its transparent nature in transmitting information to the target audience, needs to trust-building. Because the technological aspects alone are not enough to build trust in customers, and in the meantime, advertisers must pay attention to all human, organizational and technological characteristics.