Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend the current literature on trust-building mechanisms in e-commerce and provide a comprehensive view of how the perceived usefulness of three types of online trust-building mechanisms affects trust in the e-seller and trust in the e-marketplace, which, in turn, shape the customer repurchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 193 eBay customers to test the proposed research model. Findings The study found that the perceived usefulness of seller-based mechanism affects both trust in the e-marketplace and trust in the e-seller. Meanwhile, the perceived usefulness of experience-based mechanism only influences trust in the e-seller and the perceived usefulness of institution-based mechanism (IBM) only affects trust in the e-marketplace. Furthermore, this study found that trust in the e-marketplace can substitute for the effect of trust in the e-seller on customer repurchase intentions. Practical implications In an e-marketplace like eBay that does not involve much in the transaction process, e-sellers should invest more resources in building attractive and informative websites about their products and organizations. Moreover, e-marketplace owners should provide guidelines and enforce policies to improve the perceived usefulness of an IBM to increase an e-marketplace’s credibility. While such e-marketplace credibility does not affect customer repurchase intentions directly, it reduces customer concerns about individual e-sellers, which makes it easier for e-sellers to retain customers. Originality/value This study delineates how the perceived usefulness of three types of online trust-building mechanisms imposes different effects on trust in the e-marketplace and trust in the e-seller. Moreover, this study reveals the intertwined relationship between trust in the e-marketplace and trust in the e-seller that is different from extant studies conducted in marketplaces like Amazon.
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.
