Customers Of The Health Care Trust Antecedents And Results Analysis

Flourishing as of 1980s, the health-product industry of China witnessed the ensuing twenty years of rapid development, with its gross turnover soaring from 2 billions in 1984 to 50 billions in 2000, while the number of which is expected to hit 100 billions in 2010. Meanwhile, the number of enterprises in this sector increased from 100 to over 3000~1. In retrospect, it is amazing that enterprises in this sector can sink as rapidly as they were booming, none of which can survive long enough in this market. One of the important reasons for this phenomenon lies in that health-product enterprises fail to pay attention to the concept of customer trust, to realize the importance of establishing customer trust and thus fail to establish one without any knowledge of the factors influencing customer trust. From customers' perspective, this research explores the antecedents and consequences of customer trust and offers theoretical guidance for establishing customer trust for health-care enterprises.The research has reached the following conclusions by employing customer interviewing and questionnaires.1. According to different aims of purchase, the health-product market of China can be categorized into two market segments, namely consuming market and gifting market. An emerging market as it is, the gifting market prospers with great potential. Concurrence and difference coexist in the perceived trust of health-care enterprises by customers from the two different market segments.2. Individual distinctions of customers can affect the perceived trust, such as gender, age, educational level, income level and different professions, which serve as theoretical foundation for enterprises in processes of market segmentation, orientation and target market selection.3. Brand, trust to salesclerks, satisfaction from prior purchasing, and reputation of health-care enterprises have significant influence on perceived trust, and thus indirectly influence customers' willingness of re-purchase and recommendation.4. The trust of health-care product enterprises can influence both the willingness of re-purchase and recommendation. If customers trust the enterprise and its products, they will recount their purchase experiences to those around them and give recommendations.5. The perceived quality of health-care products, advertisement and promotion nevertheless do not have significant influence on the perceived trust, which goesagainst the author's initial hypothesis. The author sheds detailed explanation and analyses on this deviation, enhancing the understanding of health-care product.Based on these research results, the author sets forth several suggestions on the establishment of customer trust in the hope of facilitating a more favorable development of the health-care product industry.