Good customers, good experience? The impact of perceived virtuous behaviour in retailing

Quality of life, well-being and virtuousness have emerged as critical paradigms in retailing. While current research highlights how negative behaviours threats customers' well-being and shopping experiences, it largely ignores virtuous customer behaviours, specifically altruistic, positive customer deviance (PCD). Consequently, little is known about PCDs within customer-to-customer interactions and how they are associated with bystander-customers’ perceptions and affective responses. This is concerning, as retailing as a social ecosystem and its customers' behaviours shape commitment and trust. Considering that customers' bonding to retailers represent competitive advantages and indirect financial success parameters across all sectors, it is important to understand how positive behaviours among customers unfold and how they relate to their commitment and trust to retailers. To close these gaps, we draw on Lewin's life field theory to explain the interplay of external and internal forces that are associated with commitment and trust in consideration of PCD perceptions. To reveal the boundary conditions of PCDs' effects we consider differential susceptibility theory and social production function theory which account for customers' variances in perceiving PCDs on the basis for their attitudes and their effectiveness. Using structural equation modelling with a sample of 1008 bystander-customers, the findings indicate that perceived PCD is positively associated with focal customer outcomes and that these associations vary according to shopping-experience-related conditions and perceived shopping effectiveness. We contribute to current research as we unravel PCD dimensions and its impact. We complement theory and practice by revealing the potential of PCD perceptions for customer well-being and enjoyment, suggesting it as a relevant social stimulus for building trust and commitment in increasingly competitive markets.