Identity, fit and product complexity: some initial evidence about two neglected dimensions in business relationships

This study investigates the determinants of relational outcomes in dyadic interaction between buyers and sellers. We propose that the fit between organizational identities and the complexity of the products exchanged in the dyadic interaction affect relational outcomes. We use data from a sample of dyads in the travel and leisure industry to show that the organizational orientation of the buyer and the seller, their cultural fit, and the complexity of the products exchanged affect the outcomes for the buyer and for the seller. These relationships are mediated by the buyer’s trust in the seller. Our findings make an important step to frame relational interaction issues into the broader setting of organizational orientations and the role of their fit in the development of trust. Additionally, this study contributes to the interaction view of relationship marketing, by making the point that relationships, actor-level cultural traits, and product-level complexity traits are far more integrated that prior research considered thus far.