Initial Trust in Cross-Border E-Commerce: A Qualitative Exploratory Study
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: The main focus of our article is initial trust. Our aim is to highlight the importance of initial trust in international online transactions and to explore its explanatory factors and consequences in the context of cross-border e-commerce. Our article begins with a literature review defining the study variables and the links between them, which leads to the presentation of our conceptual model. After developing our model, we completed an exploratory qualitative research study to examine the identified variables and determine their significance within the context of cross-border e-commerce. Our study reveals the centrality of the constructs of feedback and third parties to initial trust. Other concepts also emerged, including perceived seller responsiveness, international delivery, and price. The factor of national integrity was eliminated. At the theoretical level, our study underlines the importance of certain factors in the formation of initial trust as well as the impact of initial trust on consumer behavior intentions within the context of cross-border e-commerce. At the managerial level, our study can help managers to manipulate relevant elements that inspire trust in foreign consumers, thereby significantly increasing sales. Given that few studies have investigated the concept of initial trust in cross-border e-commerce, our study fills a research gap. In addition, our study was conducted in the particular context of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a next step, a confirmatory quantitative study should be carried out to statistically test the model.
Source: Expert Journal of Marketing
Authors: Imad Waali, Bouchra Bennani
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems and Management
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3209375781