Can perceived uncertainty in refurbished smartphones transform into trust? Unveiling the role of downstream supply chain dimensions among Vietnamese young consumers

Abstract

The advancements in the technology industry simultaneously led to the increasing worldwide demand for smartphones and their considerable environmental impacts. Since a wide range of returned products annually and due to their short life cycles, refurbishing emerges as the end-of-life strategy for extracting obsolete smartphones’ value, which can substantially decrease the number of toxic gases released into the environment. This study investigates how the downstream supply chain, acts as the external factor including Seller’s Reputation, Distribution Availability, Product Returns Management, and Extended Warranty, influence young consumers’ intentions toward purchasing refurbished smartphones in Vietnam through the mediating role of perceived uncertainty as well as the direct relationship between DSC practices and purchase intentions of young consumer. This research includes collecting data via a survey online with a sample size of 350 respondents and utilizing the PLS - SEM 4.0 and SPSS 20 to analyze and unveil the correlation between various variables. The results indicate that Product Returns Management, related to the product returning due to consumer dissatisfaction, is the most influential factor for mitigating young consumers’ perceived uncertainty. We find that perceived uncertainty has a negative correlation with Purchase Intentions. Moreover, in the relationship between DSC practices and purchase intention, distribution availability is the only factor that has an influence on consumers’ purchase intention. Eventually, some recommendations are proposed to alleviate Perceived Uncertainty, which can be taken advantage of by retailers, remanufacturers, and marketers to come up with proper strategies for increasing young consumer intention toward refurbished smartphones