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Managing User Trust in B2C e-Services
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Managing User Trust in B2C e-Services

David Gefen and Detmar Straub
E-service journal, v 2(2), pp 7-24
01 Jan 2003

Abstract

Consumer attitudes Consumers Customer services Electronic commerce Travel agencies Web sites
One of the major differences between B2C e-services (business to consumer internet-based services) and the more traditional type of consumer services is that websites of e-services frequently lack the social presence of the physical services. This lack of social presence may impede the growth of B2C by hindering the development of consumer trust in the service provider. This study examines the effect of social presence on consumer trust in e-services and the relative importance of consumer trust in comparison with the widely studied TAM (technology acceptance model) beliefs. In a free simulation experiment, 161 MBA student subjects assessed Travelocity.com, a popular online travel agency. Findings show that social presence, indeed, affects consumer trust and that trust subsequently has a stronger effect on purchase intentions than TAM beliefs.

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