Dr. WANG Jie, JaneJaneDr. WANG JieHe, DongjinDongjinHeLi, YiweiYiweiLiJiang, YuweiYuweiJiang2026-09-022026-09-022026Journal of Business Research, 2026, vol. 210, article no. 116111.0148-29631873-7978http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11861/28807Sincerity is crucial to successful firm-customer communication. This research examines the impact of visual cues in text-based firm-customer communications on consumers’ sincerity perception, especially the inter-text space, an essential yet under-researched visual element. Specifically, eight studies demonstrate that large inter-text space in text-based communication decreases the perceived sincerity of the company. This effect is driven by perceived hollowness of a text. Furthermore, the effect of inter-text space on sincerity perception is weakened when a text is very long and when consumers focus their attention on the text content. We further show that a large inter-text space can lead to unfavorable consumer responses, such as a lower intention to forgive service failure or lower satisfaction. The findings of the present work contribute to the research on visual marketing and firm-customer communication and offer a potential strategy for managers to improve firm-customer interactions by utilizing effective visual design in text-based communication.enInter-Text SpaceFirm-Customer CommunicationSincerity PerceptionVisual MarketingPeer Reviewed Journal Article10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116111