Abstract
The ever-growing online shopping environment provides an opportunity for companies of all sizes to reach expanding customer bases across borders. However, research on the factors influencing online purchase intent are limited, and even more from an international point of view given that geographical marketplace barriers are less evident online. This paper explores the various antecedents of online purchase intent in terms of e-communication strategies (e.g. corporate social responsibility [CSR], peer reviews and expert opinion) for international consumers. To approach this as a global phenomenon, an international dataset of 804 international online consumers is analysed. The study finds complexity in the actors and pathways that inform purchase intent in the online retail context. Particularly, it finds that a company’s CSR has no direct effect on purchase intent but is mediated by information received from online reviews by peers and experts as intermediary e-communications channels. This suggests that online retailers must consider other communication strategies, beyond the traditional buyer-seller dyad, to boost CSR perceptions and purchase intent. The study offers a first step to theorising the online retail context as an international phenomenon where traditional marketing concepts currently remain under-problematised.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
