Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Trust has been shown to be a critical factor in promoting online purchasing behavior. This study tested the ability of three website modifications to increase levels of trust and intent to purchase. Previous theory dictates that trust is akin to certainties in the presence of uncertainty. Three easily implementable website features were chosen to reduce uncertainty, thus creating trust and in turn increase economic activity. Options on shopping websites of (1) overnight delivery, (2) in-store pick-up, and (3) a live video stream of a business's facilities were tested for effects on trust and usefulness via survey. The results suggest there are significant increases in at least some measures of trust and other correlates of purchasing behavior for all three suggested website enhancements.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Belanger

Hiller

J. S.

Smith

W. J.

(2002). Trustworthiness in electronic commerce: The role of privacy, security, and site attributes. Journal of Strategic Information Systems. 11, 245–270.

Buttner

O. B.

Goritz

A. S.

(2008). Perceived trustworthiness of online shops. Journal of Consumer Behavior. 7, 35–50.

Czaja

S. J.

Charness

Fisk

A. D.

Hertzog

Nair

S. N.

Rogers

W. A.

Sharit

(2006). Factors predicting the use of technology: Findings from the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE). Psychology of Aging. 21, 333–352.

Gefen

Karahanna

Straub

D. W.

(2003). Trust and technology acceptance mode in online shopping: An integrated model. MIS Quarterly., 27(1), 51–90.

Gefen

Straub

D. W.

(2004). Consumer trust in B2C e-commerce and the importance of social presence: Experiments in e-products and e-services. The International Journal of Management Science. 32, 407–424.

Jarvenpaa

S. L.

Tractinsky

Saarinen

(1999). Consumer trust in an internet store: A cross-cultural validation. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication., 5(2).

Lee

B. C.

Ang

Dubelaar

(2005). Lemons on the Web: A signaling approach to the problem of trust in Internet commerce. Journal of Economic Psychology. 26, 607–623.

Pavlou

P. A.

(2003). Consumer acceptance of electronic commerce: Intergrating trust and risk with the technology acceptance model. International Journal of Electronic Commerce. 7, 69–103.

Pavlou

P. A.

Gefen

(2004). Building effective online marketplaces with institution-based trust. Information Systems Research..

10.

Ring

P. S.

Van De Ven

A. H.

(1989). Formal and informal dimensions of transactions. Research on the Management of Innovation: The Minnesotta stories. 171–192.

Increasing Trust in Online Shopping Environments Increases Purchasing Behavior

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References