Factors that influence the consumer’s sense of trust in e-commerce

Abstract

THE AIM OF THE PAPER

In buy-and-take in the virtual world, all forms of physical contact are missing, resulting in an appreciation of trust factors. In my study, I examine what are the trust factors that can replace physical contact and thus increase consumer confidence in the merchant today, following the decade-long explosion of online commerce.

METHODOLOGY

Based on the model proposed by Lee and Turban (2001), I examine what factors may influencing consumer confidence in online commerce. The authors identify four main areas: the reliability of an online merchant; the reliability of the Internet as a medium of purchase; infrastructural factors and other factors. These variables are moderated by the individual consumer’s willingness to trust.

MOST IMPORTANT RESULT

The feeling of trust that develops in e-shopping is mostly influenced by the experience gained over many years. And the widespread use of digital devices has made it possible to develop technical competencies, which will also significantly increase consumer confidence in e-commerce when shopping. Practical experience can only be partially replaced by certain trust factors (feedback evaluation, telephone customer service, etc.). In the absence of these, the inclusion of a certificate issued by a third party (office or internationally recognized organization) on the opening page of a web store might be able to replace this, i.e. increase consumer confidence in the trader.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the research results, I believe that the best way to gain the trust of potential customers of a web store is to allow customers to share their experiences, for example on various price comparison pages, to provide detailed descriptions of their products and to allow consumers to contact them by phone.