Effects of Electronic Trust on Purchase Intentions in Online Social Review Networks: The Case of Tripadvisor.com

Abstract

The purpose of this research study is to examine the effects of trust beliefs on purchase intentions of trip planners within the context of online social review network by analyzing dimensions of e-trust and effects on purchase intentions. With the intention to test these effects a survey was executed and the data collected from 320 participants. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to analyze the hypotheses related to the factors affecting the overall electronic trust level and purchase intentions. The findings confirmed the existence of the significant effects of integrity, competence, benevolence and predictability dimensions on the overall electronic trust level. The standardized regression coefficients suggested that the integrity and benevolence contribute strongly; competency and predictability contribute moderately to overall trust. Additionally a series of stepwise regression analyses were also conducted with the purpose of determining the effect of trust dimensions on purchase intention of consumers to buy the product. The standardized regression coefficients suggested that the integrity and benevolence contributed strongly and competency contributed moderately to purchase intention, while predictability was not a significant contributor in the model.