Reducing perceived vulnerability to increase utilization of nonprofit services
ISSN: 0887-6045
Article publication date: 31 May 2019
Issue publication date: 8 July 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand how perceived vulnerability reduces consumers’ willingness to utilize services offered by nonprofit organizations (NPOs).
Design/methodology/approach
Three online surveys were conducted across two research contexts to test the proposed model. Hayes’ PROCESS was used to analyze the data.
Findings
Perceived vulnerability decreases the perception of relational benefits, which in turn decrease consumers’ commitment to NPOs. Reduced commitment lessens consumers’ willingness to cooperate and acquiesce to organizations’ recommendations. Risk aversion and cognitive ability mediate the relationship between perceived vulnerability and perceived relational benefits.
Research limitations/implications
The findings uncover mechanisms through which perceived vulnerability influences perceived relational benefits, contributing to the understanding of behaviors of consumers that perceive vulnerable. This paper does not manipulate consumers’ perceived vulnerability but only measures their perceived vulnerability, limiting the explanatory power of causal relationships between perceived vulnerability and perceived relational benefits.
Practical implications
This study can provide some insight for NPOs about how to better serve their target population. To increase willingness to utilize service offerings, NPOs should decrease their perceived risks of new services.
Originality/value
This paper clarifies why consumers that perceive vulnerability are not willing to deploy the NPOs’ services which could improve their situation by demonstrating that cognitive ability and risk aversion mediate the relationship between perceived vulnerability and perceived relational benefits.
Keywords
Citation
Tanner, E.C. and Su, L. (2019), "Reducing perceived vulnerability to increase utilization of nonprofit services", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 344-355. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-12-2017-0434
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited