Factors Influencing Trust in Online Shopping: An Indian Consumer’s Perspective

Abstract

With deeper proliferation of Internet, the traditional ways to do business have changed significantly. Organizations across the globe have started practicing ecommerce as a primary way to conduct business. Thousands of Internet users and shoppers from all over the world, particularly in growing economies like India and China, are joining the ranks of digitally connected. With the unprecedented growth of e-commerce, the significance of trust (it being the most important factor for any exchange to take place) cannot be ignored. Consumers are bothered about the product quality, credit card frauds, availability of returns, product delivery, security and privacy of their information etc.

Though significant research has been done on the trust factors pertaining to e-commerce in developed countries like US and UK, researchers and practitioners are yet to fully comprehend the trust factors influencing Indian Ecommerce space. Indians share a different culture, different psychology, different characteristics and obviously a very different online shopping behavior. Consequently, the factors attributing to the trust by an Indian consumer will be very different as compared to the trust factors exhibited by the consumers of a developed economy. This paper describes the factors influencing the trust and subsequently the willingness of the Indian consumer to buy online. This research is based on the study conducted on Indian consumers through surveys and interviews.

Keywords: Ecommerce Trust; Trust; Trust Factors; Indian Customer’s Trust; Indian Consumer’s Trust; Online Trust