Title: The effects of website design on purchase intention in online shopping: the mediating role of trust and the moderating role of culture

Authors: Boudhayan Ganguly, Satya Bhusan Dash, Dianne Cyr, Milena Head

Addresses: Chandragupt Institute of Management, Hindi Bhawan, Chajjubagh, Patna 800001, India. ' Indian Institute of Management, off Sitapur Road, Prabandh Nagar, Lucknow 226013, India. ' Simon Fraser University, Central City 250 – 13450 102nd Avenue Surrey, BC V3T 0A3, Canada. ' DeGroote School of Business McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M4, Canada

Abstract: Lack of trust in online transactions has been cited as the main reason for the abhorrence of online shopping. We have tested the mediating role of trust in online transactions to provide empirical evidence that trust in the online store represents the generic mechanism through which the focal independent variables of website design are able to positively influence purchase intention and reduce the perceived risk. We have further demonstrated the moderating effect of the individual|s culture in e-commerce and thereby offered insights into the relative importance of website design factors contributing to trust for customers of different cultural values.

Keywords: trust; online purchase intention; perceived risk; online shopping; moderators; mediators; website design; culture; B2C e-commerce; electronic commerce; purchasing intentions; cultural values.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEB.2010.035289

International Journal of Electronic Business, 2010 Vol.8 No.4/5, pp.302 - 330

Published online: 21 Sep 2010 *

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