Title: Investigating factors affecting trust and purchase intention towards online websites: structural equation modelling approach

Authors: Pallavi Dogra; Arun Kaushal

Addresses: Indian Institute of Management, Amritsar, India ' Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar – Delhi, Grand Trunk Rd., Phagwara, Punjab 144001, India

Abstract: The purpose of the paper is to identify the important factors which affect the trust in virtual shops. A close examination of the relationship between trust and purchase intention of the customers towards the online products and services has been done. Data has been collected from the 597 active shoppers of online shopping websites in India. The selected respondents for the study comprises of university students pursuing their studies (graduation and post-graduation) and residing in the capital of the country and adjoining areas. The theoretical framework was purposed to highlight the structural interrelationships between the constructs and was examined with the application of AMOS software. The results confirmed that website quality, familiarity, ease of use, and online review and ratings are significantly affecting the trust and purchase intention of the respondents towards online shopping websites. The result of this paper provides significant implications for the managers and policymakers so that they can focus on these important factors to earn customers' trust and ultimately get positive purchase intention. Website architects and designers should focus on the design, look, utility, features of these virtual shops so that more traffic can be converted and online purchasing can be enhanced.

Keywords: trust; website quality; familiarity; ease of use; online review; ratings; purchase intention.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2023.128151

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2023 Vol.18 No.1, pp.98 - 120

Accepted: 30 Sep 2021
Published online: 09 Jan 2023 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article