What you see is what you get: the impact of blockchain technology transparency on consumers

Abstract Blockchain technology (BT) represents a chance to bolster consumer responses toward retailers due to its ability to ensure transparency in each transaction within supply chain. Relying on signaling theory, we propose and test a theoretical model to examine BT effects. We test our theorizing in three experiments involving a total of 1995 participants. Our results suggest that retailer transparency elicited by BT fosters enhanced quality perceptions and retailer trust. As a result, consumers display higher future intentions toward the retailer. The findings illustrate that information quantity moderates the effects of transparency. Furthermore, the studies rule out interactivity and mental imagery as two possible alternative explanations of the effects of BT transparency. Our findings shed light on the importance of transparency in the supply chain in influencing consumer responses toward retailers and encourage retailers to consider in-store technologies such as BT that enable consumers to access such information.