Examining the Role of Customer Autonomy and Perceived Security in Shaping E-Trust and Purchase Intention in Online Platforms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58932/MULE0051Keywords:
Customer Autonomy, E-trust, Online platforms, Perceived Security, Purchase Intention, Protection Motivation TheoryAbstract
The swift expansion of online markets has led to the necessity to understand the influencing factors of e-trust and purchase intention. This research is based on the theoretical framework of the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and explores how customer autonomy and perceived security affect e-trust, which subsequently impacts purchase intention. By exploring these constructs, this study seeks to determine the psychological aspects of consumers that facilitate the process of shaping their online intentional behavior. In order to test the hypothesis, N=190 e-commerce users were taken into consideration. The research study findings indicate that customer autonomy and perceived security have a positive impact on e-trust. These findings suggested that customer should be empowered in decision-making and give them a sense of security to increase their confidence with e-commerce platforms. Based on the results of a survey (N=190), this study found that customer autonomy and perceived security are significantly predictive of e-trust and purchase intention; e-trust also predicts purchase intention positively. The findings reiterate the critical importance of trust-building processes in e-commerce and that e-commerce platforms must focus more on customer autonomy and security concerns to trigger customer trust and consequently, their intention to buy. The implications of the research are that managers and online retailers ought to develop consumer-centric platforms that would balance between autonomy and security to attain sustainable growth.
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