Abstract
This article examines consumer support for the opt-out principle, which is the view that sellers should be allowed to contact prospective customers with offers as long as these customers are provided the opportunity of opting-out of further contact. Consumers with low or no support for opt-out take the opinion that a firm must first have their permission before contacting them. Using survey data, this article examines the moderating effects of consumer opt-out belief on the impact of three consumer anxiety related online banking evaluations. The results show that when consumers have a high opt-out belief, the effect of firm commitment to privacy on perceived value is reduced, the effect of trust in technology on perceived value is increased and the negative effect of information ambiguity of perceived value is attenuated. The findings on the moderating effect of consumer opt-out belief are consistent with the predictions of research on idiocentric/allocentric personality traits. Research and managerial implications are discussed.
Highlights
There is consensus among researchers that consumer effort to cope with anxieties that are endemic to the online environment is a fundamental influencer of consumer-decision making
The results show that when consumers have a high opt-out belief, the effect of firm commitment to privacy on perceived value is reduced, the effect of trust in technology on perceived value is increased and the negative effect of information ambiguity of perceived value is attenuated
This article examines consumer perceived firm commitment to privacy protection as a reaction to consumer privacy anxiety; consumer trust in technology as a reaction to computer and internet anxiety; and consumer information ambiguity as a reaction to consumer anxiety concerning the complexity of online products and services
Summary
There is consensus among researchers that consumer effort to cope with anxieties that are endemic to the online environment is a fundamental influencer of consumer-decision making. The Internet is a global marketplace with compelling convenience benefits and with the abiding potential for nefarious activities such as privacy violation, fraud and harassment (Armesh, Salarzehi, Yaghoobi, Heydari, & Nikbin, 2010; Durndell & Haagb, 2002; Hoffman, Novak, & Perlata, 1999). This perspective on consumer online anxieties is supported by uncertainty reduction theory, which holds that individuals have an innate need to reduce uncertainty in their relationships by seeking (evaluative) information about their partners in order to make their relationships more predictable and stable (Berger & Calabrese, 1975). Perceived customer value reflects consumer assessment of what they give versus what they receive in a relationship (Zeithaml, 1988)
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