Cross-border e-commerce: consumers’ intention to shop on foreign websites

Abstract

Purpose Little research has been done to investigate how consumers decide to shop across national borders. The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that impact consumers’ intention to shop on foreign websites. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model is developed from the perspectives of consumer perceived trustworthiness and value. The authors also examine how vendor signaling and consumers’ attachment styles affect perceived trustworthiness, as well as how benefits and costs affect perceived value. This study conducts an online survey to test the research model. Findings Perceptions of the vendor’s trustworthiness can increase or decrease depending on consumers’ perceptions of the level of legal structure and national integrity in the vendor’s country, as well as the vendor’s website policy and reputation. Consumers with low levels of attachment avoidance or anxiety also perceive a foreign vendor as being more trustworthy. Price competitiveness, product uniqueness, communication cost and waiting cost determine the perceived value of shopping on a foreign vendor’s website. Originality/value This study advances our understanding of cross-border e-commerce in the business-to-consumer context. The findings can help researchers and practitioners understand the barriers to cross-border e-commerce, and devise strategies to overcome these barriers.