Title: What drives online information disclosure of eTailers? A cross-cultural study

Authors: Daekwan Kim, S. Tamer Cavusgil

Addresses: Department of Marketing, College of Business, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1110, USA. ' Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, Michigan State University, N370 Business Complex, East Lansing, MI 48824-1122, USA

Abstract: The online information disclosed by electronic retailers (eTailers) is expected to play a role in building customer relationships. The level of online information disclosure relies on the eTailer|s discretion while unethical online information disclosure practices, such as disclosure of misleading information, may harm the entire electronic retailing industry. This study addresses similarities and differences in transaction-related information disclosed by US and Korean eTailers. It investigates the effect of such factors as international shipping availability, company type, breadth of payment method, and price level, on online information disclosure. Results suggest that information disclosure is explained significantly by the country in which an eTailer is located, whether the business is confined to the internet, and the number of payment methods. However, no effect is found for the price level of the major product line and whether products are shipped to international customers.

Keywords: electronic retailers; etailing; online information disclosure; international online shoppers; customer relationships; USA; United States; Korea; online retailing; ethics; ethical issues; online shopping.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2006.008976

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2006 Vol.3 No.1, pp.89 - 104

Published online: 09 Feb 2006 *

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