Digital transformation and relationship quality in automotive retail: Testing commitment-trust theory in hybrid service environments

Abstract

Orientation: Digital transformation has reconfigured customer-firm interaction in automotive retail, shifting service encounters towards hybrid digital-physical journeys. Research purpose: This study examines whether the satisfaction-trust-commitment mechanism proposed by commitment-trust theory remains valid in digitally enabled dealership contexts and whether perceived service innovation conditions these relational pathways. Motivation for the study: Most relationship quality research continues to reflect pre-digital, high-contact environments. Research design, approach and method: A cross-sectional survey of 463 South African automotive customers was analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling (AMOS). Data were collected between November 2024 and April 2025. Validated multi-item scales measured satisfaction, trust, commitment and perceived service innovation. Moderation was assessed using a latent interaction term. Main findings: Satisfaction significantly strengthens trust, with both constructs predicting commitment, confirming the robustness of the commitment-trust theory in hybrid service environments. Trust partially mediates the satisfaction-commitment relationship. Perceived service innovation functions as a contextual, rather than a relational mechanism, indicating that customers evaluate technological and relational value through separate cognitive pathways. Practical/managerial implications: This study refines digital relationship marketing theory by establishing a boundary condition, namely that perceived service innovation does not alter core relational mechanisms. This conceptual clarity advances understanding of how digital tools integrate within hybrid service ecosystems. Managerially, the findings demonstrate that technological upgrades alone cannot compensate for weak relational foundations. Dealerships must pair digital process efficiency with transparent communication, reliable service delivery and consistent interpersonal engagement to strengthen trust and sustain long-term commitment. Contribution/value-add: This study proved that digital and interpersonal cues jointly inform satisfaction and trust.