Exploring Customer Experience in Online Medicine Buying: A Netnographic Approach

Abstract

Background: This study reveals three main findings. For customer experience, four themes emerged:
cognitive journey, emotional rollercoaster, behavioral actions, and systemic failure. The core theme
introduces a new concept, “Trust Bankruptcy,” describing a permanent collapse of consumer trust.
Regarding trust and risk mechanisms, five themes were identified: trust formation, multidimensional risk
perception, risk mitigation strategies, platform roles, and consequences of trust erosion. Indonesian
consumers appear proactive, developing “personal safety protocols” such as BPOM verification and
analyzing negative reviews to navigate weak regulatory environments. For satisfaction and loyalty, three
critical concepts were found: single failure catastrophe effect, service recovery paradox, and
transparency-trust mechanism. Although limited to the Indonesian context, this research offers deep
insights into the psychological and social dynamics underlying consumer trust and loyalty in online
pharmacy services.
Purpose: This study aims to explore in depth the customer experience in online drug purchases through
a netnography approach, uncover the mechanisms of trust building and risk management, and identify
the main determinants of customer satisfaction and loyalty to online pharmacies.
Methodology: This qualitative research employs the netnography method as its main strategy, observing
digital platforms (forums, social media, e-commerce, reviews, and blogs) over 3–4 months. Seventeen
data sources were analyzed using thematic content analysis with NVivo and sentiment analysis
to explore customer experience patterns. Data, source, and method triangulation ensured the study’s
credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability.
Finding: The study answered three research questions. It identified four customer experience themes
and introduced “Trust Bankruptcy,” a state of irrecoverable consumer trust collapse. For trust and risk,
five themes emerged, showing Indonesian consumers as proactive actors developing personal
safety protocols. In satisfaction and loyalty, key effects include single failure catastrophe, service
recovery paradox, and transparency-trust mechanism. Despite contextual limits, qualitative depth
reveals new psychological and social insights.
Limitation: The study is limited to the Indonesian context and consumer perspectives only. The new
concept of Trust Bankruptcy—though original—has not been quantitatively or experimentally tested,
limiting its generalizability and empirical validation across different regulatory and cultural settings.
Originality: This study is an original work independently developed by the authors and has not been
published elsewhere. The concepts of “Trust Bankruptcy” and “personal consumer safety protocols” are
novel intellectual contributions derived from empirical data through netnographic observation,
sentiment analysis, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). All sources used have been properly cited
following academic and ethical standards.
Keywords: Keywords: online pharmacy, consumer trust, customer loyalty, netnography