Multi-Story Trust and Online Retailer Strategies

Abstract

In this paper we review recommendations for increasing consumer trust in e-commerce, then draw on new empirical evidence to show that consumers differentiate between online retail offers in their stories of 'trust'. McGoldrick, Keeling and Toelke (2001) demonstrated the extent to which different categories of merchandise require individual consideration as they are migrated to e-commerce. This paper extends that analysis to argue that different merchandise categories require the development of different levels and types of trust, when designing the online offer. These findings are related to risk theory to contribute to the discussion on building trust in online transactions.

Keywords:

• Trust
• Internet
• e-tailing
• Retail Strategy
• Perceived Risk
• Risk Reduction