Consumer Trust in E-Commerce: The Case of Poland

Abstract

The increasing use of the Internet as a commercial sales channel arouses interest in understanding key issues in building customer relationships. Confidence is considered the key to the success of building these relationships. Considering the differences between online and offline sales, the antecedents and consequences of trust deserve a reconsideration. This research identifies satisfaction and knowledge as key factors related to trust in the context of online sales. The findings from this study suggest that people buy online more often if they see a higher level of trust in e-commerce and have more experience in using the web. Customer satisfaction can be influenced by the level of trust as well as the user’s experience and knowledge about the distribution channel as well as the e-seller. It seems that people with a higher level of satisfaction with shopping become loyal customers and more often participate in e-commerce. Positive experience and the ability to monitor purchases favors the development of the e-commerce market in Poland. These results complement earlier arrangements for e-commerce and shed light on how to establish a trust relationship on the World Wide Web.

Keywords

• consumer trust
• trustworthiness
• trust of the company
• e-commerce
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