The growth of the Internet continues; and with this growth comes more e-commerce activity. Yet it is maintained that the growth of e-commerce is inhibited by consumer concerns over security; and a lack of trust between the consumer and the e-tailer. Clearly it is in the interest of e-commerce businesses to engender consumer confidence so as to realise the full potential of e-commerce. Shopping online removes the familiar dyad of the offline world; in e-commerce the website is the sales person. For new visitors to an e-tailer’s website the design, layout and content is a significant influencer on the customers perception of e-tailer trustworthiness. This book examines the antecedents to trustworthiness and consumers’ concerns over Internet security and privacy. Classic theory on strategy, culture and marketing is reviewed and the relevance to e-commerce is considered.



Through the analysis of four e-tailer websites the literature theory on trust formation is compared and contrasted, with the disparities between the two being noted and discussed.



This book gives an insight into the techniques and methods e-tailers can use to engender the trust of first time visitors to their websites, providing the e-tailer with a competitive advantage over their competitors.