Consumer-to-Consumer Ecommerce: Acceptance and Intended Behavior

Abstract

ABSTRACT Consumer-to-consumer ecommerce is used by individuals who come together to buy and sell products. With the widespread use of this commerce environment comes the need to explore potential influences on its acceptance or one's intention to use it. Using the technology acceptance model, the theory of planned behavior, and ecommerce success theory, a research model is proposed. After collecting 94 survey responses, the model is examined using regression analysis. The findings indicate that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, and satisfaction influence one's acceptance of or intention to use consumer-to-consumer ecommerce. A discussion of the study findings is provided. Keywords: C2C ecommerce, TAM, TPB, success INTRODUCTION Much of today's society utilizes electronic commerce (ecommerce) in some form. With U.S. ecommerce sales in 2012 estimated at $395 billion and global ecommerce sales at $1.2 trillion, there is definite growth in this arena (Davis, 2013). The most used form of ecommerce is between businesses and consumers. However, another form is rising in use. Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) ecommerce permits individuals to come together to buy and sell goods/services through the use of information technology. C2C ecommerce is becoming more commonplace. For example, China estimates that its C2C ecommerce transactions plus retail sales in 2012 amounted to $179 billion (Davis, 2013). C2C ecommerce is changing the face of retailing, travelling, and so forth, and reaching more consumers each year. C2C ecommerce is most often conducted in an electronic auction environment; however, it does not always occur this way. C2C ecommerce can occur in a third-party consumer listing, chat room, discussion forum, or email group. Giving consumers the power to conduct business with their peers is intriguing, and therefore, it has opened numerous avenues for consumers to participate in C2C ecommerce. The individual differences in the venues can be compared and studied in determining their drivers; however, first, it is important to understand what influences an individual to accept or intend to use C2C ecommerce at all, regardless of the venue. There are many theories that can be used to aid in the understanding of C2C ecommerce. Specifically, in this study we are utilizing the technology acceptance model (TAM), the theory of planned behavior (TPB), and ecommerce success. Previous research has examined portions of these theories in varying types of ecommerce: business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), and C2C. However, no one study has incorporated all three theories to explain ecommerce acceptance/intention. In particular, these three theories have not been used jointly to explain C2C ecommerce acceptance/intention. Given that C2C must be examined as a separate ecommerce option (Jones & Leonard, 2007), as opposed to B2C or B2B for example, this study aims to determine how these well-established theories hold in the C2C ecommerce realm. The purpose of this study is to examine the TAM, the TPB, and ecommerce success theory as to influences on C2C ecommerce acceptance/intention. This study begins by exploring the three theories' constructs and the appropriateness of each of the construct's inclusion as an influence on C2C ecommerce acceptance/intention. C2C ecommerce is different from the other types of ecommerce in that a business may not be involved at all in the transaction, especially in informal C2C ecommerce venues. Due to the nature of this type of ecommerce, some of the constructs in the theories do not logically fit. Reasoning will be provided as to why a particular construct should or should not be included here. Once the appropriate constructs are identified, a model and hypotheses are presented. Finally, data analysis and results are provided along with a discussion and conclusion. BACKGROUND Acceptance and behavioral intention have long been studied in the information system literature. …