Trust and commitment: Effect of applying consumer data rights on U.S. Consumers' attitudes toward online retailers in big data era

Applying the Commitment-Trust Theory, this study investigates how a U.S.-based online retailer's choice to apply (or not to apply) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) data subject rights to consumers in the United States affect the retailer-customer relationship. This study conducted an online survey through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) with a total of 659 respondents. The findings provide empirical evidence that consumers perceived higher trust and lower privacy concerns toward online retailers when a retailer voluntarily applied the GDPR consumer data rights to U.S. consumers, thereby increasing brand commitment. The post hoc analyzes also revealed that when a global retailer chose to apply the GDPR consumer data rights to U.S. customers, the respondents' comments exhibited positive emotions and indicated they would be more willing to give the retailer their future business. These results are particularly relevant to international marketers and brands that serve both European and U.S. consumers.