The use of mobile devices is widely spread. The electronic commerce trough mCommerce is also increasing. However, there are still suspicions in some users when purchasing good or services through a mobile channel. One of the main issues that influence the purchase intention in mCommerce is the customers' trust. Consumers' trust is intrinsically related to their experience, but also with the confidence in a brand. We aim to examine the relationship between customers' trust and their intention to purchase in mCommerce. For this purpose, we designed a specific scale, based on an extensive literature review. The paper presents the process of designing the scale.
Consumer confidence has been extensively addressed, but its correlation with purchase intention has not always been investigated. This implies the need to know behaviors, needs and apprehensions that users may suffer when facing a mobile electronic commerce platform (mCommerce).
Due to this need, this study focuses on a bibliographic review on the shopping experience in mCommerce, and more specifically on the relationship between consumers’ confidence and their purchase intention. The results obtained show that the studies regarding trust and purchase intention are still incipient. Based on the bibliographic review carried out, we have designed a survey whose purpose is to evaluate consumer confidence and purchase intention. We hope that the survey will also allow us to assess the relationship between the two constructs.
The article presents a brief frame of reference in section 2. Section 3 analyzes the works related to the subject of the study. Section 4 documents the development of the survey. Finally, section 5 highlights conclusions and future work.
Copyright c 2020 for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons
The Consumer Experience (usually referred as Customer eXperience, CX) has been
defined as a multidimensional construction based on cognitive, emotional, physical,
sensory and social responses evoked by various market players. Lin et al [
This discipline was initially linked to the science of services. However, as the
consumption of products and services through platforms has grown explosively, the
need to approach areas such as Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) was imminent.
All interactions made by the consumer with the brand are called touch points or points
of contact. The design of the CX focuses on creating an optimal experience for
consumers, at all touchpoints [
Trust is a complex human behavior, composed and influenced by multidimensional
parameters [
From the perspective of social interaction, trust is a problem of gradual
progression, and it forms when one has confidence in a person's actions, which
suggests that they are trustworthy. It is the result of voluntarily trusting an exchange
partner [
If we take it to the online world, Hwang and Chang [
In this sense, it is understood that there is an exchange of trust, based on the user's beliefs towards the object in which the trust is placed. Well, while the platform tries to be reliable, the user evaluates its reliability based on the use, and the implicit compliance with these standards. This is where the concept of consumer trust comes from.
Purchasing intention is a possibility or probability that consumers buy a product or
service [
Along with this, the evaluation of the online shopping experience is generated by
the user. Here, the qualities and perceived aesthetic quality of an online shopping
website directly affect the consumer experience, including perceived trustworthiness
and perceived experimental qualities [
To evaluate the consumer experience, it is necessary to know exactly which processes involve them, in order to safeguard the coherence of that experience at each point. Many authors have mapped the phases involved in the purchase process, to see how trust affects them, or for other reasons.
When entering for the first time, to an unknown site, consumers will face an
exploration process in which they will form knowledge and trust or initial distrust, in
this first experience. After many transactions, consumers will have become familiar
with the site and its transaction process. Online trust is developed here, in the phase of
commitment called continuous trust or solid trust, a level of trust intention that does
not change dramatically over a given period of time [
For the purposes of this research, the proposal by Petre et al. [
In this way, the purchase intention could be mapped with all its ingredients, from
the pre-purchase interaction phase, for a user who does not convert, and the
postpurchase interaction in the case of doubts, or a recurring purchase. This perspective is
based on the Total Client Experience (TCE). This extends beyond the user's
interaction with the site or application. Including: product delivery, after-sales,
customer service and support. All these points of contact affect the perception of
value and quality of service that the consumer has with respect to the company.
Which consequently would affect consumer loyalty [
According to the definitions reviewed above, it is understood that the consumer
experience is a multifactorial construction, therefore, it is important to review how
these factors affect trust. Escobar and Carvajal [
To develop this research, the mobile application of a Latin American airline was taken as a case study.
For the design of the questionnaire, the constructs obtained in the bibliographic review were taken, which were attentive to the use or adoption of the purchase through a mobile application. These are listed in table 1.
Tabla 1. Constructs that were used in the questionnaire.
Constructs and reference source
Associated questions
Trust disposition I usually trust people until they give me a reason not to trust them
McKnight et al. 2002 I generally give people the benefit of the doubt when I first meet
[
My typical approach is to trust new acquaintances until they prove that I shouldn't trust them.
Personal innovation When I hear about a new app, I often find an excuse to download it
McKnight et al. 2002 Among my colleagues, I am usually the first to try new
[
I think I can trust the promises this app makes This application does not make false statements This applicatioN is characterized by the frankness and clarity of the services it offers to the consumer.
Benevolence I think this application has to do with the present and future
Casaló et al. (2007) interests of its users.
[
I think this app would not do anything intentional to harm the user I believe that the design and commercial offer of this website consider the wishes and needs of its users.
I think this application is responsive to the needs of its users
Competence I think this app has enough experience in marketing the products
Casaló et al. (2007) and services it offers.
[
I think this app knows its users well enough to offer them products and services tailored to their needs.
Usability
Appropriateness
recognizabilityDavis
(1989) [
The application is functional (useful and practical).
The content of the application is useful to me The application is easy to use The in-app purchase process is easy to learn App attributes make it easy to control and operate During the purchase process, the application prevented me from making errors of use I think this application is accessible and allows any type of user to use it For each of the indicated constructs, various questions proposed by the cited authors were established, which would make it possible to investigate the perception of each user for each of them. The questions use a Likert scale in which it is evaluated how much agree or disagree with the statement of each question. 5
Consumer trust in mCommerce platforms is a very important issue. Many consumers use them only to quote, and then make their purchase through a desktop platform. But the user gets to break the barrier of uncertainty and will be given an initial trust that fosters trust. On the other hand, if the brand, and everything that it communicates through the various points of contact, transmits trust, a purchase intention could be established which may or may not be specified.
The bibliographic study carried out allowed us to define a questionnaire to evaluate the consumer experience. The questionnaire has not yet been validated. As future work, we intend to validate the questionnaire through a case study, the mCommerce platform of an airline. Through the responses obtained, we want to investigate the relationship between consumer confidence and purchase intention.