The Initial Stages of Consumer Trust Building in e-Commerce A Study on Finnish Consumers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a value-based framework for the consumer e-trustbuilding process.Design/methodology/approach – The data collection procedure consisted of two steps. The firstwas a brief questionnaire measuring potential informants’ personal values. From this pool of potentialinformants, 30 were recruited for the interviews: five securityand five excitement-minded consumersfrom three fields of electronic commerce; electronic newspapers, electronic grocery shopping, andelectronic healthcare services.Findings – The findings of the study reveal two value-based external factors in e-trust building thatconsumers perceive as risks in e-commerce, and three value-based behavioral patterns in e-trustbuilding that informants adopt to reduce perceived risks and build trust in e-commerce. Furthermore,findings of the current study suggest that e-trust building process is different based on individuals’personal values.Research limitations/implications – This study takes into account only two consumers’ personalvalues, security and excitement, and ignores others. However, it identifies the role of the consumers’personal values in e-trust building, and thus opens new perspectives for further e-trust research.The study also identifies different strategies that consumers can use to build trust in e-commerce.Originality/value – This study opens new perspectives in e-trust research by exploring the role ofconsumers’ personal values in e-trust building process. The study also provides new insights for otherresearchers to develop understanding on mechanisms that consumers use to build e-trust.