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Frontiers of Business Research in China
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Antecedents and consequences of consumers’ trust in electronic intermediaries: An empirical study of hotel booking websites

Frontiers of Business Research in China volume 3, pages 647–666 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Electronic intermediaries are recognized as one of the most significant B2C business models in the Internet era. A trustworthy intermediary website functions as both an information intermediary and a credibility intermediary. Given the critical role of trust in driving online purchase behaviors, the technology acceptance model (TAM) has been applied to investigating the impact of technology on online trust from the perspective of users’ perception of Web interface. However, consumers’ trust in an electronic intermediary derives from not only technological factors, but also factors of brand reputation and consumers’ individual experiences. We conducted an experiment in the context of hotel booking websites. Results based on structural equation modeling indicate that the impact of an intermediary’s reputation exceeds that of technology acceptance. Besides, reputation sum and reputation distance, which stand for synthesis effect and the cask effect respectively, are the two mechanisms of trust transfer.

摘要

互联网时代, 网络中介是B2C 电子商务的重要形式。 一个消费者认可的中介网站不仅承担了信息中介的职能, 更扮演了信用中介的角色。 信任也被认为是影响网络购买行为的重要因素。 技术采用模型(TAM)从网络使用者对网络界面感知的角度研究了技术对网络信任的影响。 消费者对电子中介的信任不仅来自前台的技术层面, 还应包括后台的品牌机制与消费者自身差异。 以酒店预订网站作为切入点, 运用实验法与结构方程模型, 发现中介网站的声誉对信任的影响超过技术可接受性; 声誉总和与声誉差距分别对应的协同效应与短板效应是酒店通过中介网站进行信任传递的两种机制。

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China

    Qingyun Jiang

  2. Department of Marketing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Xun Huang

  3. Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK

    Zhuohao Chen

Authors
  1. Qingyun Jiang
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  2. Xun Huang
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  3. Zhuohao Chen
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Correspondence to Qingyun Jiang.

Additional information

Translated and revised from Yingxiao Kexue Xuebao 营销科学学报 (Journal of Marketing Science), 2007, 3(2): 56–67

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Jiang, Q., Huang, X. & Chen, Z. Antecedents and consequences of consumers’ trust in electronic intermediaries: An empirical study of hotel booking websites. Front. Bus. Res. China 3, 647–666 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11782-009-0031-1

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