Trust in B2C E-Commerce Interface - Semantic Scholar

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Category: Electronic Commerce

Trust in B2C E-Commerce Interface Ye Diana Wang University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA

THE NATURE OF TRUST Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is changing the way people make business transactions, especially in the business-to-consumer (B2C) area, and it is becoming a significant global economic force. Since Internet technologies and infrastructures to support e-commerce are now in place, attention is turning to psychological factors that affect e-commerce acceptance by online users and their perceptions of online transactions. One such factor is trust, seen to be key to the proliferation of e-commerce. Trust has existed as long as the history of humans and human social interactions, and it has been studied long before the emergence of the Internet or e-commerce. With respect to consumer behavior, studies have mainly focused on trust and trust relationships in the off-line world and have emerged from numerous disciplinary fields since the 1950s (Corritore, Kracher, & Wiedenbeck, 2001). These disciplines, including philosophy, sociology, psychology, management, marketing, ergonomics, human-computer interaction (HCI), and industrial psychology (Corritore, Kracher, & Wiedenbeck, 2003), have together contributed an extensive body of literature on trust in general, and therefore, they are important grounding points for the examination of trust in the online world. However, “trust is an extraordinarily rich concept, covering a variety of relationships, conjoining a variety of objects,” as Nissenbaum (2001, p. 104) has pointed out. Due to the complex and abstract nature of trust, each discipline has its own understanding of the concept and different ways to conceptualize it according to the features of a particular context. Even with the diverse trust research, researchers from every discipline do acknowledge the value of trust and generally observe and accept four characteristics of trust. First, there must exist two specific parties in any trusting relationship: a trusting party (trustor) and a party to be trusted (trustee). The two parties, comprised of persons, organizations, and/or products, constantly evaluate each other’s behaviors. Second, trust involves vulnerability. Trust is only needed, and actually flourishes, in an environment that is uncertain and risky. Third, trust decreases complexity in a complex world and leads people to take actions, mostly risk-taking behaviors. “Without trust people would be confronted with the incomprehensible complexity of considering every possible eventuality before deciding what to do” (Grabner-Krauter & Kaluscha, 2003, p. 787). And fourth, trust is a subjective

matter. It is directly related to and affected by individual differences and situational factors. The previously mentioned characteristics of trust make it especially needed in e-commerce because people perceive economic transactions in a virtual environment as posing a higher degree of uncertainty than in traditional settings. Most e-commerce transactions are not only separated in time and space, but are also conducted via limited communication channels and impersonal interfaces, making trust a crucial facilitator for people to overcome fear, risks, and complexity. Therefore, online consumers need trust as a mental shortcut to reduce the complexity of conducting business transactions with online vendors (Luhmann, 1989). Such trust occurring in cyberspace is commonly termed “online trust,” and we limit the scope to the online trust that is pertinent to B2C e-commerce, namely, the trust that occurs for an individual Internet user toward a specific e-commerce Web site or the online vendor that the Web site represents. Derived from the general definition for trust (Rousseau, Sitkin, Burt, & Camerer, 1998), online trust can be defined as follows: an Internet user’s psychological state of risk acceptance based upon the positive expectations of the intentions or behaviors of an online vendor. There are almost certainly many potential sources of influence that promote or hinder online trust. However, the current article focuses on the HCI or interface design perspective in inducing online trust, that is, to use what consumers can see on an e-commerce interface to affect their feelings of trust toward the online merchant that the e-commerce interface represents.

ONLINE TRUST IN THE HCI LITERATURE Online trust is a relatively new research topic and has recently drawn great interest from researchers in HCI and human factors. There are several main themes that the majority of the existing studies can be divided into. First, some studies attempt to understand the online consumer’s mind by investigating the underlying elements, antecedents, or determinants that are pertinent to the formation of online trust. For example, Gefen (2002) examined trust from a multi-dimensional perspective. According to the researcher, the specific beliefs of integrity, ability, and benevolence were seen as antecedents to overall trust. Other research-

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Trust in B2C E-Commerce Interface

ers, such as Corritore et al. (2003), also proposed that the consumer could perceive trust before, during, or after the online transaction, and they further concluded that online trust was characterized by its stage of development. The second stream of studies focuses on conceptualizing trust into theoretical models or frameworks and dividing trust elements into various dimensions. For example, the Model of Trust for Electronic Commerce (MoTEC), is proposed by Egger (2001). The model consists of four components: the pre-interactional filters taking place before any online interaction, the interface properties of the Web site, the information content of the Web site, and relationship management. The Cheskin/Sapient Report (1999) focused on Web site interface cues and presented a model of six building blocks of online trust. These six building blocks were seals of approval, brand, navigation, fulfillment, presentation, and technology. The building blocks could be further divided into a total of 28 components to establish perceived trustworthiness. Such studies provide a theoretical account for exploring and enhancing trust in an online context and often take the effects of customer relationship management into consideration. The third stream of studies aims to validate those conceptual frameworks or trust scales, often by analyzing data acquired directly from the consumers (e.g., Ba & Pavlov, 2002; Bhattacherjee, 2002). The main objective of these studies is to theoretically derive and empirically validate a scale that can be used to measure either individual online trust or the trustworthiness of an e-commerce Web site. In developing such an instrument, as for developing any other kind of scale, the researchers need to stress establishing its reliability, content validity, and construct validity. Factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and multiple linear regression analysis are some of the most commonly used statistical analysis methods in those efforts. And finally, the rest of the studies suggest Web design guidelines that are intended to enhance consumer online experience and induce the feeling of trust from the consumers (Karvonen & Parkkinen, 2001; Kim & Moon, 1998; Neilsen, 2000). In other words, the main goal for the researchers of these studies is to explore Web interface design implications to maximize consumer trust or, more precisely, trust perception. A representative study of this kind is the Nielsen Norman Group Report (2000), in which explicit trust-inducing guidelines — including graphic design, surface cue, and Web usability features — are provided based on a large number of user testing observations carried out by experts. These preceding studies provide important insights into trust in an online context. However, the research field of online trust is still far from maturity and expected to be significantly substantiated and enhanced. For example, the terms element, antecedent, dimension, determinant, and principle are sometimes used interchangeably due to the lack of agreement on a clear definition for each term among

researchers in the field. Nevertheless, this is the current body of work from which any potential implementation is to be derived.

BUILD ONLINE TRUST BY wEB DESIGN To initiate and build a consumer’s online trust is inevitably a challenging task. Due to the nature of the Internet, people nowadays browse different e-commerce Web sites as fast as they switch TV channels. Consequently, to succeed in e-commerce, online vendors must be able to convey their trustworthiness to first-time visitors and effectively and efficiently build trust in the eyes of consumers. This requires online vendors to implement optimal electronic storefronts that can attract potential consumers and induce their trust. According to Ang & Lee (2000), “if the web site does not lead the consumer to believe that the merchant is trustworthy, no purchase decision will result” (p. 3). In other words, applying trust-inducing features to the Web sites of online vendors is the most effective method of enhancing online trust, given the current state of knowledge. Efforts have been taken to establish a framework that classifies various trust-inducing Web design features into three broad dimensions: visual design, content design, and social-cue design (Wang & Emurian, in press). The framework is not exhaustive in the sense that it does not attempt to capture every possible trust-inducing feature that web designers can apply. It is focused on articulating the most prominent set of trust-inducing features and presenting them as an integrated entity that can be empirically evaluated and appropriately implemented in Web design. Table 1 illustrates the framework in detail, including the explanations and design feature examples. All the trust-inducing interface design factors that are identified in the framework have been illustrated on a synthetic e-commerce interface and evaluated by 181 survey respondents (Wang & Emurian, 2004). Along with identifying the three dimensions, the factors were found to significantly contribute to online trust ratings. This has confirmed what most HCI researchers believe — as Kim & Moon (1998) pointed out — that informative emotions such as trust can be triggered by the customer interfaces and further aid decision making while using e-commerce systems. It may also be concluded that the three dimensions of the framework can act together to promote online trust and reflect the different aspects of Web interface design. The first two dimensions, which are visual design and content design, are seemingly straightforward, and they have been traditionally the focus of the research that aims to promote online trust by Web design. The last dimension, the social-cue design dimension, is a relatively new design strategy being suggested by numerous researchers (Riegels3827

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Table 1. Framework of trust-inducing features Dimensions

Explanations Defines the graphical design aspect and the structural organization of displayed information on the Web site.

Design Feature Examples • • • • •

Visual Design

• •

Refers to the informational components that can be included on the Web site, be they textual, graphical, etc. Content Design

• • • • •

Social-Cue Design

Relates to embedding social • and interpersonal cues, such as social presence and face-to• face interaction, into the Web interface via different communication media.

Use of three-dimensional and half-screen size clipart Symmetric use of moderate pastel color of low brightness and cool tone Use of well-chosen, good-shot photographs Implementation of easy-to-use navigation (simplicity, consistency) Use of accessible information (e.g., no broken links and missing pictures) Use of navigation reinforcement (e.g., guides, tutorials, instructions, etc.) Application of page design techniques (e.g., white space and margin, strict grouping, visual density, etc.)

Display of brand-promoting information (e.g., prominent company logo or slogan, main selling point) Up-front disclosure of all aspects of the customer relationship (company competence, security, privacy, financial, and legal concerns) Display of seals of approval or third-party certificates Use of comprehensive, correct, and current product information Use of a relevant domain name Inclusion of a representative photograph or video clip Use of synchronous communication media (e.g., instant messaging, chat lines, video telephony, etc.)

berger, Sasse, & McCarthy, 2003; Steinbruck, Schaumburg, Duda, & Kruger, 2002; Wang, in review). This approach is aimed to remedy the prominent problem of e-commerce known as “lack of human touch” that eliminates online shopping for a considerable number of people. At least two reasons, or disadvantageous characteristics of e-commerce, contribute to such a problem. First, e-commerce transactions are mostly separated in space and time. Second, a Web site is the only primary and direct “contact point” that online vendors can rely on to interact and communicate with their customers. While the face-to-face interaction can help to establish and stabilize consumer trust in off-line situations, the business transaction in e-commerce is deficient in the personal communication dimension. Therefore, there is need to bring e-commerce interactions closer to off-line shopping experiences by implementing social and interpersonal cues that moderate the disadvantages of an impersonal e-commerce interface and induce online trust. It is such an initiative that compels the social-cue design dimension of the framework. 3828

The social and interpersonal cues, being investigated and embedded into e-commerce Web sites, refer to voice, gestures, appearance, and other communication cues that have been found to have a strong impact on triggering people’s trust in face-to-face encounters. Using richer communication media has been seen as a valid means for facilitating the conveyance of these interpersonal cues and providing more opportunities for personal contacts between consumers and online vendors. With the advancement of technology and the increase of bandwidth, a huge collection of communication media is presently available. However, to choose suitable communication media for adding social or interpersonal cues in e-commerce Web sites, designers need to be aware of the different features of each medium, such as channel availability, synchrony, and channel symmetry (Greenspan, Goldberg, Wimer, & Basso, 2000). When implementing social cues, special care should also be taken, as advised by Riegelsberger et al. (2003), to prevent online shoppers from being disappointed by elements lacking functionality other than giving cues of social interaction.

Trust in B2C E-Commerce Interface

The existing research on interpersonal cues and online trust still remains preliminary. Most research only focuses on examining the trust-inducing capacity of photography, which is the simplest form of communication media to be employed in e-commerce, and the outcomes are found to be somehow contradictory (e.g., Riegelsberger et al., 2003; Steinbruck et al., 2002). Therefore, empirical evidence and valid methodologies are in great need in this research area to address a number of intriguing research questions.

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS As e-commerce gains widespread attention and rapidly emerges as a competitive business form, online merchants are facing an urgent challenge of building and sustaining consumer trust on the Internet. While the issue has initiated numerous investigations for valid research methods and effective solutions by researchers from multiple disciplines, this article shows the merit of an HCI approach in confronting the challenge. Adding trust-inducing interface features and interpersonal cues in Web design has been proposed as a fruitful strategy for building online trust. Based upon the present overview, five potential areas of suggested research include (1) the effects of culture on online trust; (2) the effects of domain (e.g., .com, .edu, .org) on online trust; (3) the reasons for losing online trust and the ways to repair it; (4) the importance of civil remedies for consumers in case of violations of privacy laws; and (5) the transferability of online trust from the Internet to other activities. In addition, there is obvious need for further investigation on the effects of social and interpersonal cues on online trust, including both methodology development and experimental testing. Finally, it should be pointed out that while well-crafted Web interfaces can induce trust in those who intend to purchase online, online vendors should also pay attention to other methods, such as customer relationship management (CRM) and off-line marketing strategies, to obtain consumer trust and nurture strong business relationships (Tan, Yen, & Fang, 2002).

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Bhattacherjee, A. (2002). Individual trust in online firms: Scale development and initial test. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19 (1), 211-241. Cheskin Research and Studio Archetype/Sapient. (1999). Ecommerce Trust Study. Retrieved from www.cheskin. com/p/ar.asp?mlid=7&arid=40&art=0. Corritore, C. L., Kracher, B., & Wiedenbeck, S. (2001). Trust in the online environment. In M.J. Smith, G. Salvendy, D. Harris, & R.J. Koubek (eds.), Usability Evaluation and Interface Design: Cognitive Engineering, Intelligent Agents and Virtual Reality (pp. 1548-1552). Mahway, NJ: Erlbaum. Corritore, C. L., Kracher, B., & Wiedenbeck, S. (2003). On-line trust: Concepts, evolving themes, and a model. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 58, 737-758. Egger, F.N. (2001). Affective design of e-commerce user interface: How to maximize perceived trustworthiness. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Affective Human Factors Design. London: Asean Academic Press. Gefen, D. (2002). Reflections on the dimensions of trust and trustworthiness among online consumers. The DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems, 33 (3), 38-53. Grabner-Krauter, S., & Kaluscha, E. A. (2003). Empirical research in on-line trust: A review and critical assessment. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 58, 783-812. Greenspan, S., Goldberg, D., Wimer, D., & Basso, A. (2000). Interpersonal trust and common ground in electronically mediated communication. In Proceedings of the ACM2000 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, Philadelphia, PA. Karvonen, K., & Parkkinen, J. (2001). Signs of trust. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on HCI. New Orleans, LA. Kim, J., & Moon, J. Y. (1998). Designing towards emotional usability in customer interfaces: Trustworthiness of cyberbanking system interfaces. Interacting with Computers, 10, 1-29. Luhmann, N. (1989). Vertrauen. Ein Mechanismus der Reduktion sozialer Komplexitat (3rd edition). Enke, Stuttgart. Nielsen Norman Group. (2000). Trust: Design guidelines for e-commerce user experience. In E-commerce User Experience. Retrieved from www.nngoup.com/reports/ecommerce. Neilsen, J. (2000). Designing Web usability: The practice of simplicity. Indianapolis: New Riders Publishing.

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Nissenbaum, H. (2001). Securing trust online: Wisdom or oxymoron? Boston University Law Review, 81, 101-131. Riegelsberger, J., Sasse, M. A., & McCarthy, J. D. (2003). Shiny happy people building trust? Photos on e-commerce Websites and consumer trust. In Proceedings of CHI2003, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Rousseau, D.M., Sitkin, S.B., Burt, R.S., & Camerer, C. (1998). Not so different after all: A cross disciplinary view of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23 (3), 393-404. Steinbruck, U., Schaumburg, H., Duda, S., & Kruger, T. (2002). A picture says more than a thousand words: Photographs as trust builders in e-commerce Websites. In Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computer Systems, Minneapolis, MN. Tan, X., Yen, D.C., & Fang, X. (2002, Spring). Internet integrated customer relationship management: A key success factor for companies in the e-commerce arena. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 77-86. Wang, Y.D., & Emurian, H. H. (in press). An overview of online trust: Concepts, elements, and implications. Computers in Human Behavior. Wang, Y.D. & Emurian, H.H. (2004). Inducing consumer trust online: An empirical approach to testing e-commerce interface design features. In Proceedings of the 15th International Conference, New Orleans, LA.

KEY TERMS Channel Availability: A feature of any communication medium. A communication medium’s channel can be contextual, audio, visual, or any combination of the three. For example, telephone is an audio-only communication medium, while videoconferencing is an audio-visual communication medium.

Channel Symmetry: A feature of any communication medium. A communication medium affords symmetry if the recipient of a message can respond with the same type of message. For example, telephone and e-mail tools are symmetric (two-way) communication media, while television and Web sites are asymmetric (one-way) communication media. Communication Media: The methods or tools in which information can be exchanged and communication can be facilitated. Examples include telephone, television, e-mail, Web sites, video conferencing, and instant messaging, to name a few. Customer Relationship Management (CRM): An approach that recognizes that customers are the core of the business and that a company’s success depends on effectively managing its relationship with them. CRM is about locating and attracting customers and thereby building long-term and sustainable relationships with them. Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce): An emerging business form in which the process of buying, selling, or exchanging products, services, and information is undertaken via computer networks, including the Internet. Online Trust: An Internet user’s psychological state of risk acceptance based upon the positive expectations of the intentions or behaviors of an online vendor. Synchrony: A feature of any communication medium. A communication medium is synchronous if the recipient of a message can respond immediately. For example, telephone and instant messaging are synchronous communication media; while e-mail and voice mail are asynchronous communication media. Trust-inducing Design: The application of empirically verified features of a Web site to enhance a consumer’s perception that the online vendor is trustworthy. Trustworthy Web site: A Web site that reduces a consumer’s perception of risk and that increases confidence in the online vendor’s integrity.

This work was previously published in Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, edited by M. Khosrow-Pour, pp. 2887-2891, copyright 2005 by Information Science Reference, formerly known as Idea Group Reference (an imprint of IGI Global).

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