Trust and Distrust as Determinants of Online Consumer Behavior

The present paper represents work in progress, the goal of which is to further our understanding of the process through which people come to trust an e-commerce web site enough to engage in a transaction. Following a brief literature review, the authors will examine the role of person-centered mediating factors in the decision to trust or not to trust an e-commerce site. Specific constructs, such as self-efficacy, levels of both computer and Internet knowledge and experience, and trust and distrust will be investigated, leading to the formulation of a research model for the development of tendencies to trust or distrust, and the relationship of these tendencies to high and low risk transaction-relevant behaviors. Preliminary statistical analyses reveal some support for the model. Higher risk online behaviors such as a tendency to make purchases or pay bills online was better predicted by lower levels of Distrust, while Trust was a better predictor for lower risk behaviors such as searching for product-related information, or news and sports information.