Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

skip to main content
article

Evidence of the effect of trust building technology in electronic markets: price premiums and buyer behavior

Published: 01 September 2002 Publication History

Abstract

Despite the wide use of reputational mechanisms such as eBay's Feedback Forum to promote trust, empirical studies have shown conflicting results as to whether online feedback mechanisms induce trust and lead to higher auction prices. This study examines the extent to which trust can be induced by proper feedback mechanisms in electronic markets, and how some risk factors play a role in trust formation. Drawing from economic, sociological, and marketing theories and using data from both an online experiment and an online auction market, we demonstrate that appropriate feedback mechanisms can induce calculus-based credibility trust without repeated interactions between two transacting parties. Trust can mitigate information asymmetry by reducing transaction-specific risks, therefore generating price premiums for reputable sellers. In addition, the research also examines the role that trust plays in mitigating the risks inherent in transactions that involve very expensive products.

References

[1]
Adler, P. "Market, Hierarchy, and Trust: The Knowledge Economy and the Future of Capitalism," Organization Science (12:2), March-April 2001, pp.215-234.
[2]
Akerlof, G. "The Market for.Lemons.: Quality Under Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism" Quarterly Journal of Economics (84), August 1970, pp. 488-500.
[3]
Armstrong, J. S., and Overton, T. "Estimating Nonresponse Bias in Mail Surveys," Journal of Marketing Research (19), 1976, pp. 396-402.
[4]
Ba, S., Whinston, A. B., and Zhang, H. "Building Trust in the Electronic Market Using an Economic Incentive Mechanism" in Proceedings of the 1999 International Conference on Information Systems, P. De and J. I. DeGross (eds.), Charlotte, NC, December 1999.
[5]
Bagozzi, R. P., and Yi, Y. "On the Evaluation of Structural Equation Models," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (16), 1988, pp. 74-79.
[6]
Baron, R., and Kenny, D. "The Moderator-Mediator Variable Distinction in Social Psycho logical Research: Conceptual, Strategic, and Statistical Considerations," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (51:6), 1986, pp. 1173-1182.
[7]
Bhattacharya, R., Devinney, T. M., and Pillutla, M. M. "A Formal Model of Trust Based on Outcomes," Academy of Management Review (23:3), 1998, pp. 459-472.
[8]
Brynjolfsson, E., and Smith, M. "Frictionless Commerce? A Comparison of Internet and Conventional Retailers," Management Science (46:4), 2000, pp. 563-585.
[9]
Choi, S. -Y., Stahl, D. O., and Whinston, A. B. The Economics of Electronic Commerce, Macmillan Technical Publishing, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1997.
[10]
Coleman, R. Foundations of Social Theory, Belknap Press, Cambridge, MA, 1990.
[11]
Dasgupta, P. "Trust as a Commodity" in Trust: Making and Breaking Cooperative Relations, D. Gambetta (ed), Basil Blackwell, Inc., Oxford, UK, 1988.
[12]
Doney, P. M., and Cannon P. "An Examination of the Nature of Trust in Buyer-Seller Relationships," Journal of Marketing (61), April 1997, pp. 35-51.
[13]
Economist. "Is There Life In E-Commerce?. February 3, 2001, pp.19-20.
[14]
Eisenstadt, S. N. Max Weber on Charisma and Institution Building, Chicago University Press, Chicago, 1986.
[15]
Fung, R., and Lee, M. "EC-Trust (Trust in Electronic Commerce): Exploring the Antecedent Factors," Proceedings of the Fifth Americas Conference on Information Systems, W. D. Haseman and D. L. Nazareth (eds.), Milwaukee, WI, 1999, pp. 517-519.
[16]
Gambetta, D. Trust: Making and Breaking Cooperative Relations, Basil Blackwell, Oxford, UK, 1988.
[17]
Ganesan, S. "Determinants of Long-Term Orientation in Buyer-Seller Relationships" Journal of Marketing (58), 1994, pp. 1-19.
[18]
Granovetter, M. "Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness" American Journal of Sociology (91:3), 1985, pp. 481-510.
[19]
Greenberg, J., and Folger, R. Controversial Issues in Social Research Methods, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1988.
[20]
Greif, A. "Reputation and Coalitions in Medieval Trade: Evidence on the Maghribi Traders," The Journal of Economic History (49:4). December 1989, pp. 857-882.
[21]
Hair, J., Anderson, R., Tatham, R., and Black, W. Multivariate Data Analysis, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1998.
[22]
Hart, P., and Saunders, C. "Emerging Electronic Partnerships: Antecedents and Dimensions of EDI Use from Supplier's Perspective," Journal of Management Information Systems (14: 4), 1998, pp. 87-111.
[23]
Hawes, J. M, Kenneth, E. M., and Swan, J. E. "Trust Earning Perceptions of Sellers and Buyers," Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management (9), Spring 1989, pp. 1-8.
[24]
Heide, J. B., and Weiss, A. M. "Vendor Consideration and Switching Behavior for Buyers in High-Technology Markets," Journal of Marketing (59), 1995, pp. 30-43.
[25]
Hirsch, F. Social Limits to Growth, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1978.
[26]
Houser, D., and Wooders, J. "Reputation in Auctions: Theory, and Evidence from eBay," Working Paper, Department of Economics, University of Arizona, February 2000, Online: http://bpa.arizona.edu/~jwooders/ebay.pdf. Accessed 04/025/01. Industry Standard..Not a Pretty Picture" March 26, 2001, pp. 56-57.
[27]
Internet Fraud Watch, http://www.fraud.org/ internet/lt00totstats.htm, 2000.
[28]
Jarvenpaa, S. L., and Tractinsky, N. "Consumer Trust in an Internet Store: A Cross-Cultural Validation," Journal of Computer-Mediated Communications (5:2), December 1999.
[29]
Jarvenpaa, S. L., Tractinsky, N., and Vitale, M. "Consumer Trust in Internet Stores" Information Technology and Management (1:1- 2), 2000.
[30]
Kauffman, R. J., and Wood, C. A. "Running Up the Bid: Modeling Supplier Opportunism in Internet Auctions," Proceedings of the Sixth Americas Conference in Information Systems, M. Chung (ed.), Long Beach, CA, 2000, pp. 929-936.
[31]
Klein, B., and Leffler, K. "The Role of Market Forces in Assuring Contractual Performance" Journal of Political Economy (89:4), 1981, pp. 615-641.
[32]
Koller, M. "Risk as a Determinant of Trust," Basic and Applied Social Psychology (9:4), 1988, pp. 265-276.
[33]
Kreps, D. M. "Corporate Culture and Economic Theory," in Perspectives in Positive Political Economy, J. E. Alt and K. A. Schepsle (eds.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1990.
[34]
Langdon, S., and Smith, C. E. "Quality Expectations, Reputation, and Price," Southern Economic Journal (64:3), 1998, pp. 628-647.
[35]
Lee, H. G. "Do Electronic Marketplaces Lower the Price of Goods?. Communications of the ACM (41:1), 1998, pp. 73-80.
[36]
Lee, Z., Im, I., and Lee, S. J. "The Effect of Negative Buyer Feedback on Prices in Internet Auction Markets" in Proceedings of the Twenty-first International Conference on Information Systems, W. J. Orlikowski, S. Ang, P. Weill, H. Krcmar, and J. I. DeGross (eds.), Brisbane, Australia, 2000, pp. 286-287.
[37]
Lewicki, R. J., and Bunker, B. B. "Trust in Relationships: A Model of Development and Decline" in Conflict, Cooperation, and Justice, B. B. Bunker and J. Z. Rubin (eds.), Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 1995.
[38]
Lucking-Reiley, D., Bryan, D., Prasad, N., and Reeves, D. "Pennies from eBay: The Determinants of Price in Online Auctions, Working Paper, Vanderbilt University, January 2000, Online: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/econ/reiley/ papers/PenniesFromEBay.pdf, accessed 04/25/01.
[39]
McKnight, D. H., and Chervany, N. L. "What Is Trust? A Conceptual Analysis and an Interdisciplinary Model" in Proceedings of the 2000 Americas Conference on Information Systems, M. Chung (ed.), Long Beach, CA, August 2000.
[40]
Milgrom, P. R., North, D. C., and Weingast, B. R. "The Role of Institutions in the Revival of Trade: The Law Merchant, Private Judges, and the Champagne Fairs," Economics and Politics. (2:1), March 1990.
[41]
Mishra, D. P., Heide, J. B., and Cort, S. G. "Information Asymmetry and Levels of Agency Relationships," Journal of Marketing Research (35), 1998, pp. 277-295.
[42]
Neumann, P. "Identity-Related Misuse," Communications of ACM (40:7), 1997.
[43]
Nunnally, J. C. Psychometric Theory, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1978.
[44]
Page, M. M. "On Detecting Demand Awareness by Post-Experimental Questionnaire," Journal of Social Psychology (91), 1973, pp. 305-323.
[45]
Rao, A. R., and Monroe, M. "Causes and Consequences of Price Premiums," Journal of Business (69:4), 1996, pp. 511-535.
[46]
Resnick, P., and Zeckhauser, R. "Trust Among Strangers in Internet Transactions: Empirical Analysis of eBay's Reputation System"
[47]
Working Paper, University of Michigan, 2001.
[48]
Resnick, P., Zeckhauser, R., Friedman, E., and Kuwabara, K. "Reputation Systems," Communications of the ACM (43:12), 2000, pp. 45-48.
[49]
Ring, P. S., and Van de Ven, A. H. "Structuring Cooperative Relationships between Organizations," Strategic Management Journal (13), 1992, pp. 483-498.
[50]
Sako, M. Prices, Quality, and Trust: Inter-Firm Relations in Britain and Japan, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1992.
[51]
Sako, M., and Helper, S. "Determinants of Trust in Supplier Relations: Evidence from the Automotive Industry in Japan and the United States," Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization (34), 1998, pp. 387-417.
[52]
Sawyer, A. G. "Demand Artifacts in Laboratory Experiments in Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research (1:4), March 1975, pp. 20-29.
[53]
Schramm, W. Men, Messages, and Media: A Look at Human Communication, Harper & Row, New York, 1973.
[54]
Scott, W., and Derlaga, V. J. "Attributions in TGroups: A Test of Kelley's ANOVA Model" Small Group Behavior (14), 1983, pp. 50-62.
[55]
Shapiro, C. "Premiums for High Quality Products as Returns to Reputations," Quarterly Journal of Economics (98), 1983, pp. 659-679.
[56]
Shapiro, S. P. "The Social Control of Impersonal Trust," American Journal of Sociology (9:3), 1987, pp. 623-658.
[57]
Sharma, S., Durand, R. M., and Gurarie, O., "Identification and Analysis of Moderator Variables," Journal of Marketing Research (18:3), 1981.
[58]
Shaw, M. J., Gardner, D. M., and Thomas H. "Research Opportunities in Electronic Com merce," Decision Support Systems (21), 1997, pp. 149-156.
[59]
Shimp, T. A., Hyatt, E. M., and Snyder, D. J. "A Critical Appraisal of Demand Artifacts in Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research (18), 1991, pp. 273-283.
[60]
Sundaram, D., and Webster, C. "Service Consumption Criticality in Failure Recovery" Journal of Business Research (41:2), 1998.
[61]
Swan, J. E., and Nolan, J. J. "Gaining Customer Trust: A Conceptual Guide for the Salesperson," Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management (5), November 1985, pp. 39-48.
[62]
Walden, E. "Some Value Propositions of Online Communities," Electronic Markets (10:4), 2000.
[63]
Williamson, O. E. "Calculativeness, Trust, and Economic Organization," Journal of Law and Economics (36:1), 1993, pp. 453-486.
[64]
Williamson, O. E. The Economic Institutions of Capitalism, Free Press, New York, 1985.
[65]
Zaheer, A., McEvily, B., and Perrone, V. "Does Trust Matter? Exploring the Effects of Interorganizational and Interpersonal Trust of Performance," Organization Science (9:2), 1998, pp. 141-159.

Cited By

View all
  • (2024)The role of commitment in online reputation systemsDecision Support Systems10.1016/j.dss.2023.114061176:COnline publication date: 1-Jan-2024
  • (2024)Research on the influencing factors and the differences between the initial trust and continuous trust of online health community usersNeural Computing and Applications10.1007/s00521-024-09593-236:17(9849-9874)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2024
  • (2023)Impacts of Word of Mouth (WOM) on E-Business Online PricingJournal of Global Information Management10.4018/JGIM.32481331:3(1-17)Online publication date: 29-Jun-2023
  • Show More Cited By

Recommendations

Comments

Please enable JavaScript to view thecomments powered by Disqus.

Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

cover image MIS Quarterly
MIS Quarterly  Volume 26, Issue 3
September 2002
119 pages

Publisher

Society for Information Management and The Management Information Systems Research Center

United States

Publication History

Published: 01 September 2002

Author Tags

  1. credibility
  2. electronic markets
  3. feedback mechanisms
  4. information asymmetry
  5. online risks
  6. price premiums
  7. reputation
  8. trust

Qualifiers

  • Article

Contributors

Other Metrics

Bibliometrics & Citations

Bibliometrics

Article Metrics

  • Downloads (Last 12 months)0
  • Downloads (Last 6 weeks)0
Reflects downloads up to 13 Nov 2024

Other Metrics

Citations

Cited By

View all
  • (2024)The role of commitment in online reputation systemsDecision Support Systems10.1016/j.dss.2023.114061176:COnline publication date: 1-Jan-2024
  • (2024)Research on the influencing factors and the differences between the initial trust and continuous trust of online health community usersNeural Computing and Applications10.1007/s00521-024-09593-236:17(9849-9874)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2024
  • (2023)Impacts of Word of Mouth (WOM) on E-Business Online PricingJournal of Global Information Management10.4018/JGIM.32481331:3(1-17)Online publication date: 29-Jun-2023
  • (2023)The Good, the Bad, and the UnhirableManagement Science10.1287/mnsc.2023.469069:11(6969-6987)Online publication date: 8-Mar-2023
  • (2023)When More Can Be LessInformation Systems Research10.1287/isre.2022.112934:1(363-382)Online publication date: 1-Mar-2023
  • (2022)Analyzing the Impact of Public Buyer–Seller Engagement During Online AuctionsInformation Systems Research10.1287/isre.2022.111433:4(1264-1286)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2022
  • (2022)C2C Model E-Commerce Credit Evaluation Model Based on Artificial IntelligenceMobile Information Systems10.1155/2022/48203932022Online publication date: 1-Jan-2022
  • (2022)Online Shopping Behavior during PandemicProceedings of the 2022 6th International Conference on Compute and Data Analysis10.1145/3523089.3523106(105-110)Online publication date: 25-Feb-2022
  • (2022)Integrating Behavioral, Economic, and Technical Insights to Understand and Address Algorithmic Bias: A Human-Centric PerspectiveACM Transactions on Management Information Systems10.1145/351942013:3(1-27)Online publication date: 14-May-2022
  • (2022)Antecedents and consequences of the key opinion leader status: an econometric and machine learning approachElectronic Commerce Research10.1007/s10660-022-09650-923:3(1459-1484)Online publication date: 9-Dec-2022
  • Show More Cited By

View Options

View options

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share this Publication link

Share on social media