Technology
has influenced the way people sell and purchase. Since the conventional markets
have been saturated, technology has generated a breakthrough-electronic
commerce. E-commerce is associated with selling and buying by using the
internet (Rodgers, Yen & Cou, 2002, p.186).
Obviously, online trade grows rapidly in line with the growth of technology. Indonesia
has experienced online commerce booming as well. According to Indonesia
Internet Service Provider Association (2012), Indonesian internet users reached
63 million in 2012 and it will probably increase gradually to 82 million users
by 2013. As a result, it is such an enormous opportunity to establish
profitable ventures (Jennex, Amoroso &
Adelakun, 2004, p.263). Therefore, we should address the key factors of
establishing favorable online store system. It is my belief that maintaining
consumers’ trust is indispensable in e-commerce and this paper considers previous
empirical researchers.
First
of all, McKnight, Choudhury and Kacmar (2002, p.334) claim that the consumers’ trust
is a significant factor to overcome perceived risk and uncertainty. Without
physical contact, consumers may hesitate to buy commodities from virtual stores
(Flavian & Guinaliu, 2006). For instance, internet
users who do not have any experience engaging with online transactions may be
reluctant to purchase from e-commerce web sites. This is because they are
afraid of being exploited in terms of privacy and finance. Therefore, there is
no doubt that a company which maintains its consumers’ trust will be more
competitive in terms of profitability.
To
establish trust, there are three factors to consider. Firstly, according to
Wiedmann, Hennigs, Varelmann and Reeh (2010, p.138-140), technology significantly
determines the trust. Moreover, technology element is associated with security
and privacy foundation. A secure e-commerce application protects its systems
and data from threats or exploitation. This means that an e-commerce system
should be prudently designed to become reliable and trustworthy in order to
maintain consumers’ trust. The application should be equipped with a secure
encryption system and an antivirus to avoid failure.
Furthermore,
Wiedmann et al. (2010, p.142) describe that usability plays a crucial role to
maintain trust. The usability is closely related to usefulness, ease of use and
good information quality. This means that online stores should be useful, easy
and informative in order to eliminate the hesitation of consumers. For example,
a catalogue located on a company’s web site should be easy to access and it should
state clearly important information, such as price, terms and conditions,
delivery methods, payment methods and discounts. Furthermore, Nicolaou and
McKnight (2006, p.334-335) examine that perceived information quality
influences trusting belief and intention to use e-commerce application as well.
In addition, the e-commerce portal can be emphasised with attractive design
without omitting usability concepts.
Finally,
Dillon and Reif (2004) point out that customer service positively influences purchase
decisions in e-commerce. Customer service consists of vendor knowledge,
delivery time, and responsiveness, form of payment, vendor reliability and
return convenience. Since customer service can propagate trust and it maintains
buyer loyalty as well. Therefore, online stores should establish outstanding customer
service in order to enhance its outcome.
In
conclusion, maintaining customers’ trust is the key factor of e-commerce
success. Consequently, online businesses should build their system by
considering security and privacy concepts, reliable information quality and
customer care in order to maintain consumers’ trust.
*) "Copy Paste" without acknowledging the initial author is considered to be academic theft
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