Ewald Andreas Kaluscha The Importance of Initial Consumer Trust in B2C Electronic Commerce A ...

336 Pages·2005·18.41 MB·English

Mag. (FH) Ewald Andreas Kaluscha
The Importance of Initial Consumer Trust in B2C Electronic Commerce
A Structural Equation Modeling Approach
DISSERTATION
zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades
Doktor der Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Universität Klagenfurt
Fakultät für Wirtschaftswissenschaften und Informatik
1. Begutachterin: a.o.Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Sonja Grabner-Kräuter
Institut: Wirtschaftswissenschaften
2. Begutachter: a.o.Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Werner Mussnig
Institut: Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Juli/2004
Ehrenwörtliche Erklärung
Ich erkläre ehrenwörtlich, dass ich die vorliegende Schrift verfasst und die mit
ihr unmittelbar verbundenen Arbeiten selbst durchgeführt habe. Die in der
Schrift verwendete Literatur sowie das Ausmaß der mir im gesamten
Arbeitsvorgang gewährten Unterstützung sind ausnahmslos angegeben. Die
Schrift ist noch keiner anderen Prüfungsbehörde vorgelegt worden
Klagenfurt, am 10. Juli 2004
II
"/ have asked myself this question more than once in rereading what I have written on.. [trust], and I hasten to
declare that I will not offer a definitive explanation of it in this.. [thesis]. The more one writes about this subject,
the more the world becomes a term for something as unfathomable as it is all-pervasive.
One can only explore it by establishing its indispensability in various contexts."
(Erik H. Erikson, 1968, p. 9)1
Entgegen allen Erwartungen schnellten auch im letzten Weihnachtsgeschäft die Umsatzzahlen der Online-
Händler in die Höhe: Nach Angaben des Hauptverbandes des Deutschen Einzelhandels (HDE) setzten die
Internet-Retailer rund ums Christfest acht Milliarden Euro um — rund drei Milliarden mehr als im Vorjahr.
Und obwohl die Prognosen der Marktforscher stark differieren, so sind sich die Experten doch
über einen weiteren Anstieg einig. Doch während Amazon, Karstadt.de, Tchibo oder Weltbild
Rekordergebnisse melden, kämpfen viele Online-Händler nach wie vor gegen Kaufbarrieren: ,Der kritische
Erfolgsfaktor im Online-Vertrieb ist das Vertrauen' erklärt Thomas Hessler,
Vorstand der auf Online-Kooperations-Management spezialisierten Zanox.de AG..."
(Mirjam Müller, „Kampf den Kaufbarrieren", Die Welt, 18. Februar 2003, S. 16, www.welt.de/webweltA
Abstract
With an increasing number of consumers using the Internet and more and more of them
engaging in online shopping activities, B2C electronic commerce sales are on the rise and
expected to grow continuously in the next years. However, the online retail market is
currently dominated by a few, big and very successful vendors, while many new start-ups and
smaller regional online retailers struggle hard to attract and retain customers. One key element
in attracting new customers and convincing them to click the "order button" is the
establishment of consumers' trust in the online vendor. As a result, in this thesis, we have
focused on three main question: 1) What are the major factors that influence the formation of
consumers' initial trust in a previously unknown online retail store? 2) What is the relative
importance of initial consumer trust regarding consumers' intention to transact with an
unfamiliar online retail store? 3) Which measures may an online retail store employ to boost
the establishment of consumers' initial trust.
Consequently, this thesis presents an empirical study on consumers' initial trust formation in
an unfamiliar online retail store, grounded in a solid analysis of the state of the art of general
trust literature, a conceptual meta-analysis of prior empirical research on online trust in B2C
electronic commerce, an exploratory qualitative focus group study and a rigorous scale
development with several pre-tests and a pilot study. The findings gathered, presented and
1 The author replaced the word „identity" with „trust" and the word „book" with „thesis".
Ill
discussed in the course of this thesis provide a number of contributions to the existing body of
online trust research. In addition, fellow researchers are provided with a rigorously validated
measurement instrument covering 18 theoretical constructs. Furthermore, several managerial
implications are drawn from our findings and suggestions for practitioners from the field of
B2C electronic commerce are made regarding the opportunities of promoting initial consumer
trust.
IV
Acknowledgements
I am deeply grateful to Prof. Sonja Grabner-Kräuter, my main PhD supervisor, for her help
and constant support in writing this doctoral thesis. She not only introduced me to the topic of
online trust, which became a great passion of mine, but also triggered my great ardor for
academic writing. I would also like to thank my second PhD supervisor Prof. Werner Mussnig
for his support. He was always ready to help whenever I needed some advice.
Special thanks go to Dr. Rainer Alexandrowicz, friend and colleague, who taught me how to
handle LISREL, who never got tired of answering my numerous questions on any statistical
topic one could possibly think of and who engaged me in many lengthy and fascinating
debates on scientific research. I am also indebted to Mag. Marliese Fladnitzer, my fellow trust
researcher, who provided me with helpful comments on parts of this thesis and who was
always willing to discuss the nature of trust with me.
In addition, I want to express my thanks to my colleagues at the University of Klagenfurt's
eBusiness Institute (Mag. Waltraud Grillitsch, Dr. Gernot Mödritscher, Kerstin Murer,
Klothilde Pack, MMag. Alexandra Stingl, Mag. Anita Toschkov) as well as at the Department
of Marketing and International Management (Dr. Sonja Bidmon, Mag. Marliese Fladnitzer,
MMag. Rita Lackner, Manuela Pirker, Mag. Andrea Scheinig, Dr. Alexander Schwarz-
Musch) for providing a friendly and intellectually inspiring atmosphere during my time in
Klagenfurt.
Furthermore, I would like to mention the additional faculty who provided me with the
opportunity to use the valuable time of their lectures to conduct my survey: Dr. Gudrun Fritz-
Schmied, Prof. Michael Getzner, Prof. Martin Hitz, Prof. Heinrich C. Mayr, Mag. Peter
Micheuz, Mag. Alexandra Rausch, Dr. Gottfried Siissenbacher. Thanks go to all focus group
participants, pre-testers and the survey participants.
There are also a few other people I would like to mention who supported me in some way or
another in my endeavor, either in or out of university: Mag. Eva Brunner, Mag. Eva Bstieler,
Markus Buchtele, Mag. Robert Grascher, DI Doris Hodnigg, Dr. Gabriela Holicky, Prof. Paul
Kellermann, Liselotte and Christian Krassnig, Mag. (FH) Simone Nagl, Prof. Hans J.
Oppelland, DI (FH) Igor Raitmeir, Prof. Dieter J.G. Schneider, Msc. Xiaomeng Su, Angelika
Swoboda, Msc. Ekaterini Tzanidou, DI Angelika Wiegele, Prof. Carson Woo, and my friends
from Eisenstadt.
Approaching the end of my acknowledgements I would like to thank the Dr. Manfred-
Gehring Foundation for awarding me a full-time research grant. Without this grant I would
have not been able to write down this doctoral thesis in ten months. I would also like to
acknowledge additional funding for parts of my empirical studies by the University of
Klagenfurt's School of Business Administration, Management and Economics.
Finally, I am greatly indebted to my parents, my brother Peter and my grandparents who all
believed in me and provided me with all the help and support I needed. They also patiently
volunteered whenever I needed some pre-pre-test subjects in order to evaluate some new
technique for my empirical studies.
To Monika, I owe a special word of gratitude. She gave me help, advice and comfort at
innumerable points during the writing of this thesis and her interest in my work was a
constant stimulus.
Klagenfurt, July 2004 Ewald A. Kaluscha
VI
Table of Contents
Abstract Ill
Acknowledgements V
Table of Contents VII
List of Figures XI
List of Tables XII
List of Abbreviations XIII
1. Introduction 1
1.1. Business-to-Consumer Electronic Commerce: Development and Trends 1
1.2. Consumer Trust in Business-to-Consumer Electronic Commerce 6
1.3. Research Questions and Research Methodology 9
1.4. Research Restrictions 11
1.5. Research Significance 12
1.6. Dissertation Outline 13
2. The Concept of Trust 16
2.1. The Importance of Trust 16
2.2. Definitions of Trust 18
2.2.1. Social Psychology 19
2.2.2. Sociology 20
2.2.3. Organizational Theory 22
2.2.4. Philosophy and Moral Ethics 23
2.2.5. Economics 23
2.2.6. Relationship Marketing 24
2.2.7. Summary 25
2.3. Preconditions for Trust to Emerge 26
2.3.1. Complexity of the World - Social Complexity 27
2.3.2. Uncertainty of Future Events 28
2.3.3. Risk 29
2.3.4. Dependence 30
2.3.5. Information Asymmetry 31
2.3.6. Potential Opportunism 32
VII
2.4. Trust Versus Similar Concepts 33
2.4.1. Trustworthiness 33
2.4.2. Confidence 35
2.4.3. Reliance 35
2.4.4. Familiarity 36
2.4.5. Hope 36
2.4.6. Cooperation 37
2.4.7. Gullibility 38
2.5. Distrust 39
2.6. The Dynamic Nature of Trust 41
2.7. Types of Trust 47
2.7.1. Dispositional Trust 47
2.7.2. Impersonal Trust 51
2.7.2.1. Institutional-based Trust 52
2.7.2.2. Technological trust 56
2.7.3. Interpersonal Trust 59
2.7.3.1. Trusting Beliefs 60
2.7.3.2. Trusting Intention 61
2.7.4. Trusting Behavior 63
2.7.5. Summary 64
3. Literature Review 67
3.1. Context of the Reviewed Studies 68
3.2. Samples and Methodologies of the Reviewed Studies 69
3.3. Excursus: Theoretical Frameworks of the Reviewed Studies 74
3.3.1. Theory of Reasoned Action 74
3.3.2. The Theory of Planned Behavior 76
3.3.3. The Technology Acceptance Model 77
3.3.4. Balance Theory 79
3.3.5. Signaling Theory 81
3.3.6. Social Network Theory 82
3.3.7. Social Exchange Theory 84
3.3.8. Diffusion Theory - Theory of Perceived Attributes 88
3.4. Conceptualization and Findings 88
VIII
3.5. Operationalization of Trust Constructs and Data Analysis Ill
3.6. Summary and Discussion of the Findings 117
3.6.1. Conceptualizations of Consumer Trust in Electronic Commerce 117
3.6.2. Antecedents of Consumer Trust in Electronic Commerce 119
3.6.2.1. Beliefs about Characteristics of the Internet Merchant 119
3.6.2.2. Beliefs about Perceived Characteristics of the Website 120
3.6.2.3. Institutional-based Beliefs 121
3.6.2.4. Consumer Characteristics 122
3.6.3. Consequences of Consumer Trust in Electronic Commerce 122
3.6.3.1. Beliefs and Attitudes 123
3.6.3.2. Behavioral Intentions 123
3.6.3.3. Behavior 124
3.7.3. Limitations of the Reviewed Studies 124
4. Hypotheses Development 128
4.1. Mediating Variables - Trusting Beliefs and Trusting Intention 128
4.2. Independent Variables 129
4.3. Dependent Variables 138
4.4. Rival Model 141
5. Qualitative Study - Focus Groups 144
5.1. Introduction to Focus Group Research 144
5.2. Research Interests 146
5.3. Methodology 148
5.4. Data Analysis 153
5.5. Results 155
5.6. Limitations 175
5.7. Implications for the Research Hypotheses 176
6. Quantitative Study - Survey 184
6.1. Instrument Development 184
6.1.1. Item Creation and Selection 187
6.1.2. Pretest 1 - Item Sorting Procedures 189
6.1.3. Survey Design Development and Stimulus Selection 195
6.1.4. Pretest 2-Personal Interviews 198
IX
6.1.5. Pilot Study 199
6.2. Survey Methodology 203
6.3. Results 203
6.3.1. Descriptive Results 204
6.3.2. Excursus: A Brief Introduction to CFA and SEM with LISREL 206
6.3.3. Measure Purification 210
6.3.3.1. Reliability Analysis with Cronbach's Alpha 212
6.3.3.2. Exploratory Factor Analysis 212
6.3.3.3. Confirmatory Factor Analysis 216
6.3.4. Hypotheses Testing 228
6.3.4.1. Model 1 : Unidimensional Trust - Trusting Beliefs 228
6.3.4.2. Model 2: Multidimensional Trust - Trusting Beliefs and Trusting Intention230
6.3.4.3. Model 3: Unidimensional Trust - Trusting Beliefs including the Control
Variables 233
6.3.4.4. Model 4: Multidimensional Trust - Trusting Beliefs and Trusting Intentions
including the Control Variables 235
6.3.4.5. Model Comparison 238
6.3.5. Limitations 243
7. Discussion, Implications and Conclusion 249
7.1. Summary of Findings 249
7.1.1. Conceptualization of Initial Consumer Trust in the Online Vendor 251
7.1.2. Influence Factors on Initial Consumer Trust in the Online Vendor 253
7.1.3. Relative Importance of Trust in the Consumer's Decision to Transact with the
Online Vendor 261
7.1.4. Additional Exploratory Findings 264
7.2. Theoretical Implications and Future Research 267
7.3. Managerial Implications 271
7.4. General Conclusion 277
References 279
Appendix A - Initial Item Pool 305
Appendix B - Pilot Study 315
Appendix C - Full-Scale Survey 319
X