In brands we trust: The development and validation of a contemporary brand trust scale

Brand trust is becoming even more important now consumers are changing their shopping behavior, also for high involvement products. The current scales to measure brand trust, however, have been developed particularly using low involvement purchases in traditional retail settings. The purpose of this research is to update the conceptualization of brand trust, including its dimensional structure and their corresponding measurement items. For this, we conducted four different studies, using two high involvement product categories: mobile phones and fashion clothing. Our new brand trust scale comprises two dimensions. The reliability dimension seems consistent with the existing literature but may be improved by adding items that represent important developments in the current retail sector, focusing on user needs and shopper experience. The security dimension, however, bridges a gap in the current brand trust literature. This feeling of relief and safety indicates strong brand trust signals for consumers in a high involvement product category. Security proves even more important than reliability in brand trust.