Page 11 - Faculty Research Publication Booklet_Apr 2022_Mar 2023_Final

Nigam, A., Sangal, S., Behl, A., Jayawardena, N.,

Shankar, A., Pereira, V., ... & Zhang, J. (2022).

Blockchain as a resource for building trust in

pre-owned goods’ marketing: a case of

automobile industry in an emerging economy.

Journal of Strategic Marketing, 1-19.

Blockchain technology (BCT) has caught tremendous attention from businesses. In the present study, the authors
propose that if BCT is used to track a product’s life cycle, that is, when it was manufactured, purchased, and used

by the first and subsequent owners, the information asymmetry present in the pre-owned automobile market can
be significantly reduced. The study uses a qualitative procedure to explore the challenges which buyers, sellers

and intermediaries face while buying and selling pre-owned automobiles, specifically in emerging economies.
Theoretical constructs of the resource-based view and the trust-based marketing theory are used to explore the

extent to which BCT can influence customer purchase intention and the marketing performance of firms dealing
in pre-owned automobile products in emerging economies. We collected data by conducting eight focus group

discussions with generation Y and Z individuals who had experience of buying or selling pre-owned automobiles. We
also conducted five personal interviews with managers of pre-owned automobile online/omnichannel retailers to

understand the industry’s point of view. Three themes emerged during the study: ‘current challenges in pre-owned
automobile transactions,’ ‘scope of blockchain in preowned automobile transactions,’ and ‘concerns regarding

blockchain adoption in pre-owned automobile transactions.’ We present our findings based on these three themes.
Further, we propose a conceptual model and provide theoretical and managerial implications for the preowned

automobile industry.

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