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.
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.
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.
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.
