Communal Relationship Theory and Web Design

Communal Relationship Theory

Exchange relationships are business relationships; they serve a practical purpose, and the parties involved are not expected to care about each other beyond completing the transaction.
Communal relationships are the kind of relationships you have with your family and friends - you care about each other as individuals, and you're willing to offer them assistance without necessarily receiving anything in return.
Communality is "the degree to which a commercial relationship resembles a friendship" (Goodwin 389). Communality involves commercial communication that is nonessential to the core service transaction, involves discussion of oneself and/or offers to help the other party, and is seen as genuine.

Tomluk and Pinsonneault identified six dimensions of site communality, as follows:

Conveying warmth/good cheer - "The extent to which the content of the web site conveys a sense of friendliness and positive feelings toward customers" (417).

Example: ThinkGeek

Logo implies inclusivity
Product writeup uses very casual language
Posts customer pictures

Role spanning - "The extent to which web site content demonstrates that the company sees the visitor/user as ‘a person’ rather than strictly ‘a customer’ and attempts to relate with the visitor/user on a personal as well as on a commercial level" (417).

Example: AmazonSmile

Allows customers to choose charity to donate to
Acknowledges customers' values
Demonstrates social consciousness

Approachability - "The extent to which the web site’s content makes the visitor feel that the company facilitates, encourages and is receptive to customer contact" (418).

Example: Simply Recipes

Site owner responds to audience comments and questions
Demonstrates receptiveness to readers and willingness to assist

Demonstration of caring - "The extent to which web site content indicates that the company behaves in a caring and nurturing manner with its customers" (418).

Example: Neil Gaiman's author page

Provides free content for readers
Demonstrates concern for readers with sidebar link to discussion of wills for intellectual property

Self-disclosure - "The extent to which web site content reveals to users/visitors the company’s non-commercial related activities, involvements and/or interests" (418).

Example: Ben & Jerry's

Includes news articles on main page demonstrating company values
Includes extensive "About Us" section

Authenticity/genuineness - "The extent to which web site content conveys that a company’s feelings and concerns for its customers are genuine rather than simply instrumental in achieving some goal (e.g. more sales)" (418).

Example: The Honest Kitchen

"Meet the Team" section shows employees with their pets, demonstrating that they are genuinely motivated by a love of animals

Works Consulted

"About AmazonSmile." AmazonSmile. Amazon.com, Inc., n.d. Web. 6 March 2016. http://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/about/ref=smi_se_abtpo_r_about_smi

Ben & Jerry's. Ben & Jerry's, n.d. Web. 6 March 2016. http://www.benjerry.com/

Chen, Hong-Mei, Qimei Chen, and Rick Kazman. "The Affective and Cognitive Impacts of Perceived Touch on Online Customers' Intention to Return in the Web-based ECRM Environment." Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations (JECO) 5.1 (2007): 69-91. InfoSci-Journals (Full collection). Web. 6 March 2016.

Goodwin, Cathy. "Communality as a Dimension of Service Relationships." Journal of Consumer Psychology 5.4 (1996): 387-415. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 March 2016.

"Meet the Team!" The Honest Kitchen. The Honest Kitchen, n.d. Web. 6 March 2016. http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/meet-the-team

Shaw, Hank. "African Chicken Peanut Stew." Simply Recipes. Elise Bauer, 16 December 2015. Web. 6 March 2016. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/african_chicken_peanut_stew/

"Short Stories." Neil Gaiman. Harper Collins Publishers, n.d. Web. 6 March 2016. http://www.neilgaiman.com/Cool_Stuff/Short_Stories

"Star Wars Death Star Waffle Maker." ThinkGeek. ThinkGeek, Inc., n.d. Web. 6 March 2016. http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/huik/?pfm=HP_TopCMD_huik

Tomiuk, Daniel, and Alain Pinsonneault. "Applying Relationship Theories to Web Site Design: Development and Validation of a Site-communality Scale." Information Systems Journal 19.4 (2009): 413-35. Wiley-Blackwell Journals (Frontfile Content) Web. 6 March 2016.

Zollet, Roman. "Interactivity of Corporate Websites: An Integrative Review of the Literature." IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 57.1 (2014): 2-16. IEEE/IET Electronic Library (IEL) Web. 6 March 2016.