Price Transparency and Fair Policy: A New Key to Modern Consumer Trust

Abstract

Amid the rapid expansion of the digital economy, consumer trust can no longer be built on product quality alone; it also depends on how open and fair companies are in setting prices. This study aims to explore the role of price transparency and fair policy as determinants of modern consumer trust in Indonesia by examining the dimensions of price transparency relevant to digital consumers, the effect of fair policy on perceived fairness, and the relationship of both variables with consumer trust. The study uses a qualitative approach based on library research, thematically reviewing and analyzing a number of relevant scholarly journals and textbooks, mainly those published in the last five years. The analysis shows that price transparency in the digital realm comprises five main dimensions—information clarity, cost component openness, information accessibility, cross-channel price consistency, and communication of price changes—while fair policy consists of three dimensions of justice: distributive, procedural, and interactional. These two factors prove to be complementary and operate through consumers' perceived fairness as a bridge to trust. The study develops a conceptual framework which asserts that modern consumer trust in developing countries such as Indonesia is relational and process-based, not merely transactional. These findings enrich the consumer behavior literature by offering an integrative perspective relevant to the development of ethical and sustainable digital marketing strategies.