Title: Consumer vulnerability: its impact on ethical perceptions and brand love towards online retail from a stimulus-organism-behaviour-consequence perspective

Authors: Dheeraj Sharma; Neha Bhardwaj; Naman Sreen

Addresses: Indian Institute Management Rohtak, Rohtak 124010, India ' Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India ' Jindal Global Business School, Sonipat, Haryana-131029, India

Abstract: Ethics in e-commerce becomes essential, especially in crisis situations such as COVID-19. However, few e-commerce platforms adopt unethical practices to benefit in these vulnerable times. An online survey is conducted for respondents who have bought medical products online during COVID-19. The data is analysed using PLS-SEM for 400 respondents. This study utilises the stimulus-organism-behaviour-consequence (SOBC) perspective by presenting resource scarcity and distinguishing ability as the stimulus, different facets of consumers' perceived ethics of online retail (CPEOR) as the organism, trust, and brand love as behavioural and consequential outcomes, respectively. The results of the study support the SOBC framework. Findings indicate that resource scarcity and distinguishing ability influence facets of CPEOR, which impacts trust towards online retail, finally impacting brand love for online retail and products. The study contributes to the literature by offering new perspectives on managing ethical perceptions of online retailers.

Keywords: stimulus-organism-behaviour-consequence; SOBC; resource scarcity; distinguishing ability; consumers' perceived ethics of online retail; CPEOR; trust; brand love.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTMKT.2025.147340

International Journal of Technology Marketing, 2025 Vol.19 No.3, pp.337 - 365

Received: 01 Jan 2024
Accepted: 10 Dec 2024
Published online: 14 Jul 2025 *

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