Trust Formation And Relationship Building In Electronic Servicescapes

Trust is the key enabling factor for any relationship – commercial or not. Although it has been extensively studied in various disciplines, information systems researchers have focused on trust in the context of short-term transactional exchanges failing thus to address its evolutionary nature and associated complexities. Addressing this limitation we present a model and define a set of testable hypotheses. A measurement instrument is also developed for the empirical testing of the model and the subsequent theory development. This is deemed essential in order to inform the design of electronic servicescapes that can truly enable and support lasting relationships in virtual commercial settings.