Building resilient memberships: how transparency in member-exclusive promotions shapes fairness perception and retention in Glovo Prime
Zilu Zhang, Solon Magrizos, Fauzia Jabeen, Aleksandr KljučnikovPurpose
This study explores how transparency in member-exclusive promotions affects fairness perceptions and the resilience of customer–platform relationships, captured through retention intentions, among both non-members and members, using Glovo Prime as a case. It also investigates the mediating role of fairness perceptions and the moderating influence of membership fee levels.
Design/methodology/approach
Two between-subjects experiments were conducted. In Experiment A (N = 200), a 2 × 2 design (transparency: 100 vs 0%; status: non-member vs member) tested the main effects and mediation at a medium fee (€5.99). In Experiment B (N = 400), the moderating role of fee levels (low: €2.99, high: €8.99 and baseline: €5.99) was analyzed. Participants were randomly assigned to a status condition, shown simulated promotions, and asked to report perceived fairness and retention intent via Likert scales.
Findings
Transparency increased retention intent for both members and non-members, indicating that making member-exclusive promotions visible can strengthen the resilience of subscription relationships at the aggregate level. However, fairness perceptions mediated this effect positively for members and negatively for non-members, revealing a fragile and asymmetrical form of resilience: the same transparency that consolidates members’ loyalty undermines non-members’ sense of fairness. Lower membership fees enhanced retention intent and attenuated unfairness perceptions, whereas higher fees reduced retention intent. Order frequency also positively influenced retention intent.
Originality/value
This study offers novel insights into how both members and non-members react to transparent exclusive promotions − an underexplored area in subscription-based platform contexts. The findings inform the design of segmented promotion strategies and optimized membership pricing to enhance user acquisition and retention.