Investigating the use of trust cues by top web retailers.

ABSTRACT

This study examines trust cues present on web sites of top-rated online retailers. Trust cues examined in the study include security, privacy, and return policies, along with shipping, phone/fax, and alternative ordering information. Additionally, the use of trust certificates including BBBOnline, TRUSTe, VeriSign and credit card logos is examined. The presence and predominance of these cues is compared for 50 best web e-retailers. Significant differences between two groups of retailers are found in the presence of some cues. Additionally, there are similarities between the two groups, specifically in the small percentage of trust certificates present.

1. INTRODUCTION

Predictions for online retail spending indicate online sales will grow to be a substantial portion of overall retail sales. ComScore Media Metrix, Inc., projects online retail spending in the U.S. to reach $130 billion (USD) by 2006 (Petersen, 2002), while Forrester Research predictsU.S, e-commerce sales will reach $230 billion by 2008 (Cantwell, 2003) Specifically, the Forrester Research study predicts that while the U.S. economy and retailers have been struggling, online retail sales will increase steadily at 19% yearover-year growth, accounting for 10% of total U.S. retail sales by 2008. The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce estimated U.S. retail e-commerce sales for 3rd quarter 2003 would reach $13.291 billion, an increase of 27% from third quarter 2002 (Scheleur & King, 2003). The 2003 Online Holiday sales were projected to be about $17 billion, a 21% increase over online consumer spending in 2002 (Cox, 2003). ComScore's Historical Buying Index (HOBI) was expected to top 150 for the 2003 holiday season (Mudd, 2003). The index was set at 100 in 2001. Dieringer Research Group found that Internet-influenced offline spending is 50% greater than online spending, citing that for every $1 spent online, the Internet influences $1.50 in brick and mortar sales (Greenspan, 2003b). This study found the Internet serves as a major source of product and purchase information, with 60% of consumers surveyed spending at least $500 per year, both on and offline, after seeking product information online. However, one of the most frequently cited reasons consumers don't make purchases online is lack of trust. A 1998 Greenfield Online study (Yoon, 2002) investigated why respondents had never purchased online. The results found consumers had concerns regarding payment security (75%), payment-clearing structure (46%), company credibility and product return (36%), and the absence of a privacy policy (33%). A Business Week/Harris survey in 1999 (Benassi, 1999) found 78% of online users would increase their use of the Internet if privacy practices were disclosed; and an even more compelling, 61% of non-users would be more likely to begin using the Internet if privacy practices were disclosed. Patti Freeman Evans, retail analyst for Jupiter Research states that there is a direct correlation between online tenure and e-commerce activity (Greenspan, 2003a). Longer Internet usage contributed to increased online shopping confidence.

A 2002 Consumers Union survey found Internet users fairly skeptical of Web sites that sell goods or give buying advice (Brannigan & Jager, 2003). The survey found only 29% of 1500 U.S. Internet users said they trust Web merchants just about all the time, while almost two-thirds, trusted Web retailers only some of the time, or never trusted Web retailers. A recent survey conducted by NFO WorldGroup (Hodge, 2003) and sponsored by TRUSTe revealed that fears related to privacy were projected to have a significant negative impact on online shopping during the 2003 holiday season. Forty-nine percent of respondents indicated they would limit their online shopping activity because they did not trust online retailers with their personal information. About 5.6 percent indicated they would not shop online at all due to concerns about privacy. The three leading reasons sited by the respondents to this survey for reducing or stopping online shopping included concerns about receiving spam after purchasing a product, fear of identity theft, and the potential for credit card information being stolen. These numbers should alert online retailers to the need to build trust with online consumers. Developing consumer trust is integral for success, in any business venue, and perhaps it is even more critical for the online environment. As the previous statistics would suggest, there is definitely a need to improve trust in the online retail environment. Morgan and Hunt (1994) suggest that trust can be developed when firms provide superior resources, maintain high standards of corporate values, communicate information about expectations, market intelligence, and evaluations, and avoid malevolently taking advantage of their exchange partner.

Why online consumers are reluctant to shop online is the fundamental lack of faith that currently exists between most businesses and consumers on the Web. "In essence, consumers simply do not trust most Web providers enough to engage in relationship exchanges with them (Hoffman, Novak, & Peralta, 1999)." Trust is not only a short-term issue but also the most significant long-term barrier for realizing the potential of e-commerce to consumers (Grabner-Kraeuter, 2002). A greater degree of trust is required in an online shopping environment than in a physical shop. It is by now a folk theorem that trust is an important issue for those who engage in electronic commerce. Trust mitigates the feelings of uncertainty that arise when the retailer is unknown, or how the company will deliver the goods or services purchased (Heijden, Verhagen, & Creemers, 2003).

Consumers have limited cognitive resources available, and thus seek to reduce the uncertainty and complexity of online transaction by applying mental shortcuts. Trust is one effective mental shortcut. Trust bears important functions for the consumer, as it reduces information complexity and lowers the perceived risk of a transaction (Grabner-Kraeuter, 2002). Guarantee policies can be more effective for building trust in e-commerce if trusted third parties are included that focus on legal, technical and organizational factors of electronic markets.

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Trust has been defined as a willingness to rely on an exchange partner in whom one has confidence (Moorman, Deshpande, & Zaltman, 1992). In a review of marketing literature, two approaches may be identified. "First, trust is viewed as a belief, confidence, or expectation about an exchange partner's trustworthiness that results from the partner's expertise, reliability or intentionality. Second, trust is viewed as a behavioral intention or behavior that reflects a reliance on a partner and involves vulnerability and uncertainty on the part of the trustor (Moorman et al., 1992)". Research addressing trust from the traditional marketing perspective focuses on an experience-based result. However, in the online environment, trust is necessary before the online shopping experience can happen (Hoffman et al., 1999), (Warrington, Abgrab, & Caldwell, 2000).

One area of major concern for consumers in the development of trust is privacy. As described by Luo (2002) in the area of Internet marketing, invasion of privacy is interpreted as the unauthorized collection, disclosure, or other use of personal information. Because of the high priority consumers place on privacy, the FTC has been actively involved in establishing guidelines for online marketers in providing and meeting privacy needs. The FTC has relied on fair information principles to guide privacy regulation and industry practice in the U.S. These principles include notice/awareness, choice/consent, access/participation, security/integrity, and redress/enforcement. Although the industry has relied on selfregulation, Milne and Boza (1998) found that in a study of 365 organizations, only 38% of the organizations notified consumers about the gathering of personal information, 33% indicate the use of the information, and 26% ask for permission to use the information. Many organizations use the Internet to gather information through the use of cookies or other forms of tracking software without the consumer's knowledge. This data collection adds to the consumer's worry regarding privacy issues. Building trust may be a solution to consumers' privacy apprehension.

When consumers provide information online, they want to have secure transactions. Therefore, consumers must have some sort of cue or indicator on the web site that will serve as a surrogate trust indicator. Warrington et al. (2000) identify several cues which consumers use when online. These cues include polices on privacy, returns and security, and the presence of a company address and telephone number for alternative ordering procedures. The researchers indicate that the overall professional appearance of the site also encourages consumer trust. Turban et al. (2002) echo this and identify policies dealing with privacy and product returns as components of the model that develops consumer trust in the online merchant. This model includes the presence of trust certificates and seals such as VeriSign and TRUSTe, along with vendor evaluation such as the Better Business Bureau logo. Although there are several seal of approval programs, there are two dominant programs: TRUSTe and BBBOnline. In a review of the top Media Metrix 500 Internet consumer web sites in 2000, 23.9 percent of the sites had some form of seal emblem, symbol or endorsement. The TRUSTe program addresses the fair information principles: its licensees agree to provide notice, choice, security, data quality, and access. The sites with the TRUSTe seal are monitored through an initial inspection, seeding, and outside audits (Benassi, 1999). The BBBOnline is designed to affirm consumers that their personal information will be safeguarded in cyberspace by the companies that participate in its privacy seal program (Luo, 2002). Both the TRUSTe and the BBBOnline programs contend that consumers will feel more confident and have greater trust of the online companies displaying their seals of approval. Turban et al. (2002, 27, pp. 767-768) further encourage consumers to actively look for addresses, telephone and fax numbers, along with trust certificates and the BBB logo when purchasing online. Zemke & Connellan (2001)echo the importance of several of these cues in their Keys to Build Trust from the First Click. Specifically the presence of Seals of Approval, including the BBB online, TRUSTe and VeriSign, along with Visa or American Express Iogos, is identified as an important trust cue. The importance of consumer privacy and security policies, third-party seals of approval, return guarantees, and telephone and email support are also supported by Urban, Sultan and Quails (2000). By 2002 there were five online privacy seal programs available to Web site operators: BBBOnline, CPA Web Trust On-Line Privacy, the Direct Marketing Association's Privacy Promise, Secure Assure, and TRUSTe (Hemphill, 2002). Additional support for the seal of approval programs was discussed in an article by Miyazaki and Krishnamurthy (2002). These authors found that the mere display of an Internet seal of approval logo enhances consumer perceptions regarding privacy policy favorableness. The presence of these Iogos was found to increase anticipated disclosure and patronage rates for consumers with relatively high online shopping risks, but had no effects with consumers with low online shopping risks.

Although these trust cues are seen as important, in a recent study the FTC found that only 8 percent of heavily-trafficked web sites it surveyed displayed a seal and almost half of sites displaying seals did not meet the standards set for fair information practices (Petersen, 2000). Clearly, establishing trust is imperative for retailers in the online environment. While name and brand recognition of established traditional retailers can assuredly provide a baseline for consumers when they go online, this venue still holds some uncertainty in the consumers' mind when dealing with unknown merchants. In the recent past, online companies have failed to deliver on promises, particularly during the 2000 and 2001-holiday season (Anonymous, 2002). Failed promises add to consumers' wariness of purchasing online. According to Hemphill (2002), electronic commerce will not attain its full potential in the U.S. economy unless consumers feel confident that their privacy and confidentiality have been protected. It now becomes more imperative for all retailers to provide a secure and reliable shopping experience for online consumers. Yoon (2002) found that to secure trust for a web site, managing the overall image of the web-site was more important than emphasizing the functionality of the site. He also found that web sites that only exist online are more critically in need of trust recognition than those with both online and offline existence. These results further support the need for improving the communication with consumers to facilitate their trust of the web site. Because consumers often draw upon cues from their environment, companies must provide trust cues as well as create a positive environment in which the transaction can Occur.

Based upon the review of literature, thirteen trust cues were identified. The cues included: 1) privacy, 2) security, and 3) return policies; 4) shipping procedures; 5) warranty support; 6) email contact; 7) physical address or location; 8) phone or fax numbers; 9) alternative ordering options; 10) BBB, 11) TRUSTe, 12) VeriSign, or 13) credit card logos.

3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This study will examine trust cues on The Best of the Web, Top 50 e-Retailers web sites. These web site ratings were determined by a review panel, based on site design and performance. Overall online sales were NOT criteria for inclusion in the ranking. In December of each year, Internet Retailer names the Top 50 Best of the Web Retailers. The retailers in the 2002 and 2003 lists were used for this study(Peters, Wagner, Denery, & Giesen, 2002, 2003). It is theorized successful retailers should exhibit a preponderance of the cues related to trust on their websites. An examination and comparison of these two groups of retailers will attempt to answer what trust cues are being used by highly rated Web retailers. The following research questions will be investigated:

1. Are there differences between the two groups (years) of web retailers with regard to use of trust cues on their respective sites?

2. Are 2003 Web Retailers using more trust cues than 2002 Web retailers?

3. Are there an increasing number of web retailers using third-party endorsement seals in 2003?

4. METHODOLOGY

A content analysis of each website of the fifty retailers from each report was conducted. Each site was examined for the presence of the 13 trust cues identified. Data were collected from the 2002 retailers in the spring of 2003, while data for the 2003 retailers were collected the last week of 2003 and first week of 2004. This analysis only examined the sites for the presence of these cues, and not the ease of finding these cues or cue placement on the individual web site. There were a total of 99 sites reviewed, as one was unavailable at the time of data collection. Forty-two (42) sites were analyzed from 2002, thirty-eight (38) from 2003, and ten (10) of the sites were on the list both years. These sites were: 1800flowers.com, Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Buy.com, Dell.com, Drugstore.com, Ebags.com, eBay.com, LandsEnd.com, and Sharperimage.com.

5. RESULTS

A very large portion of the retailers from both groups had privacy, security, and return policies, as well as shipping information, email contacts and phone or fax numbers. Only a small percentage of the sites in the three groups, (2002, 2003, 2002-2003) had third-party endorsement seals present on their respective web sites. VeriSign was present on approximately one-fourth to one-third of the sites, while the TRUSTe logo was present on less than 10% of the 2002 and 2003 sites, and 16% of the sites listed both years. Presence of the BBBOnline was less than 20% of the three site groups. While none of the retailers from the exclusive 2002 group exhibited more than eleven (11) of the thirteen cues, 28 of them had between seven and eleven of the cues present on their sites. In the 2003 exclusive group, these numbers improved. Only one of the 2003 web retailers had LESS than seven (7) cues present; the remaining 37 sites had seven or more cues present on their sites. Of the nineteen (19) sites listed in both years, the number of cues present ranged from 2 to 10. Tables 1 and 2 show the comparison of these frequencies across the three groups.

A chi-square test of independence was conducted to examine differences between the three groups, (2002, 2003 and 2002-2003 retailers). Results were significant for five of the thirteen trust cues: return policies, chi-square(2)=5.932, p=.051; shipping policies, chi-square(2)=8.218, p=.016; address/location, chi-square(2)=19.337, p=.000; phone/fax, chi-square(2)=5.688, p=.058; and alternative ordering options, chi-square(2)=6.390, p=.041. Results were not significant for privacy, or security policies, warranty support, email, or BBBOnline, TRUSTe, VeriSign, or credit card logos. Table 3 shows the results for all thirteen variables for the three groups. Thus, in response to the first research question, yes there are differences between the two groups. However, since a large percentage of sites included privacy, security, email and phone contacts in 2002, it was highly unlikely that even small increases in the 2003 would be statistically significant.

To determine specific differences between 2002 and 2003 web retailers, a second chi-square test of independence was conducted to examine the frequency of individual trust cues present on the two groups. Again the same five variables were statistically significant. Specific values can be found in Table 4. Comparisons between the two groups were made, using cross-tab frequencies of observed versus expected counts of cues. These results indicate that more of the 2003 e-retailers had these five trust cues on their sites than the 2002 group. Thus the answer to the second research question is yes, web retailers have increased their use of trust cues in 2003.

An examination of the cumulative number of cues present on individual sites was made. The total number of cues present on individual sites ranged from 2 to 11 in 2002, from 3 to 12 in 2003, and from 7 to 12 on the group included both years. A one-way ANOVA was conducted to determine if there were significant differences between these groups. A significant difference was found, F=7.973, p=.001. The 2003 sites, including the group that crossed both years, did use more cues per individual sites, than those in 2002. This again confirms the results that there are differences between the two years' web retailers' use of trust cues; specifically, there are a greater number of trust cues on the 2003 sites.

However, in looking at the use of third party endorsement seals across the groups, it appears that the presence of the BBBOnline and VeriSign logos has actually decreased in 2003; one more site had the TRUSTe logo present in 2003, and 3 more sites used credit card logos. It would appear that third party endorsements are not being employed by Web retailers. Thus, the answer to the third research question is no, there has not been an increase in the use of trust seals.

6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

These results may be indicative of why consumers are reporting low levels of trust for online retailers. Consumer trust is an essential component of online shopping environment, and online retailers must develop trust with their customers to be successful. Online privacy and security issues have been prevalent in the popular press for some time now. The web retailers investigated in this study definitely appear to have taken this information seriously, and posted privacy and security policies on their respective sites. Additionally, return and shipping information along with email or phone/fax contacts are present on a large majority of the sites. Warranty and product support information was present on less than half of the sites in all groups. Product warranty support may also be more relative to the type of product purchased, i.e. books versus computers/electronics, rather than an integral component of online retailer services. Perhaps the web retailers expect consumers to contact the product manufacturer for this type of support, but as e-commerce continues to grow, it may become more important to provide additional customer service/support in this venue. The most surprising results found were the small numbers of Web retailers using third party trust seals. Approximately 10-13% of the Web retailers had either or both the BBBOnline or TRUSTe logos present. Approximately one-fourth of the Web retailers had the VeriSign endorsement on their sites. These numbers and percentages are still a small portion of the overall sample, and quite disappointing. While these endorsements require fees and specific site content, they are a definite means of conveying trustworthiness to consumers. It is evident here that web retailers have not been sufficiently convinced that third party endorsements are an essential component of their online site. While not statistically significant, the larger percentage of sites employing VeriSign secure payment verification seems to be the most used method of encouraging actual purchase and shopping cart assurances.

Recent reports indicate that retailers are getting the message that trust and privacy issues are critical to online success. A report from TRUSTe in April of 2003 indicated a surge in requests for certification from Fortune 500 companies. A total of 250 organizations completed TRUSTe certification for the first time in 2002. According to Greg Butz, vice president of Marketing and Business Development for Comcast High-Speed Internet, "consumer education and communication about privacy issues is the first step in establishing trust in the Internet community" (Aroner, 2003) The results of this current study would indicate the web retailers analyzed in this study seem to relying on policies addressing privacy, security, return and shipping information to build consumer trust, rather than employing the use of third-party seals of endorsement.

7. LIMITATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

While preliminary in nature, this study does give insight for further and more in-depth examination and analysis. Additionally, the research methodology did not examine security of actual shopping carts or purchase and checkout procedures. This may be a key component of consumer trust of the website. Online shopping research groups have reported a high percentage of shopping cart abandonment in the online environment. However, for the consumer to reach the shopping cart/checkout portion of the online purchase, he or she has to feel at least some trust in the website before actually beginning the purchase procedures. This study did not attempt to examine this component of the online shopping process, but future research might examine how much importance consumers place in "front-end" trust cues, versus security of the actual purchase and checkout procedure. Furthermore, this study did not examine the actual content or placement of policy statements such as privacy, security, returns or shipping.

These results provide a baseline for further research. As the online channel continues to develop, the role these trust cue variables play in developing and maintaining customer loyalty should be of significant concern to all online retailers, multi-channel and single-channel retailers alike. Following either or both of these two groups of retailers over time, and developing a longitudinal study could track the continued or increased use of specific trust cues. Additionally, tracking and analyzing online retailers, based upon online sales revenues could also provide additional information. Examination of the shopping cart and checkout procedures for individual online retailers, combined with examination of the trust cues present could also provide significant insights. Finally, a content analysis examining the actual content of privacy and security policies could provide more specific data. Investigation of the placement and ease of finding any or all of these trust cues could also provide greater useful information.

TABLE 1: FREQUENCIES OF PRESENT

Cue                    2002   %     2003   %     Both   %

TOTAL analyzed         42           38           19

Privacy policy         42     100   38     95    19     100
Security Policy        36     86    34     90    18     95
Return Policy          33     79    38     95    18     95
Shipping Info          33     79    36     95    19     100
Warranty Support       9      21    13     34    8      27
Email contact          39     93    38     100   18     95
Address/location       21     50    36     95    13     68
Phone/Fax              37     88    38     100   16     84
Alternative ordering   17     41    26     68    11     58
BBB logo               7      17    5      13    2      11
TRUSTe                 3      7     3      8     3      16
VeriSign               11     26    9      24    7      37
Credit Card logos      9      21    11     29    3      16

TABLE 2:
CUMULATIVE NUMBER OF CUES PRESENT

Total #
Cues      2002   2003   2002&2003

 2.00        1      0           0
 3.00        1      1           0
 4.00        2      0           0
 5.00        3      0           0
 6.00        7      0           0
 7.00        7      7           6
 8.00       15     13           6
 9.00        3      9           5
10.00        2      5           2
11.00        1      2           0
12.00        0      1           0

TABLE 3: CHI-SQUARE RESULTS FOR 3 GROUPS, 2002, 2003 and 2002-2003

                                             p
Trust cue           [chi square]   df        value      Lambda

Privacy policy      3.277          2         .194       .035
Security policy     1.100          2         .577       .000
Return policy       5.932          2         .051       .053
Shipping            8.218          2         .016       .053

Warranty Support    3.094          2         .213       .070
Email Contact       2.716          2         .257       .000
Address/location    19.337         2         .000       .263
Phone/Fax           5.688          2         .058       .018
Alternative order   6.390          2         .041       .158
BBB logo            0.455          2         .796       .000
TRUSTe              1.290          2         .525       .000
VeriSign logo       1.149          2         .563       .000
Credit Card logos   1.363          2         .506       .035

                                             Goodman/
                                             Kruskal    p
Trust cue           [T.sup.c]      p value   tau        value

Privacy policy      1.429          .0153
Security policy     cells <5
Return policy       .361           .718      .060       .053
Shipping            .361           .718      .083       .017
Warranty Support    .856           .392
Email Contact       cells <5
Address/location    2.028          .043      .195       .000
Phone/Fax           .115           .908      .057       .060
Alternative order   1.386          .116      .065       .042
BBB logo            cells <5
TRUSTe              cells <5
VeriSign logo       cells <5
Credit Card logos   .448           .654

TABLE 4:
CHI-SQUARE RESULTS FOR 2 GROUPS: 2002 SV 2003

Trust cues 2                              p     Goodman/     p
groups              [chi square]   df   value   Kruskal    value

Return policy           4.396      1    .036      .055     .037
Shipping                4.396      1    .036      .055     .037
Address/location       19.492      1    .000      .244     .000
Phone/Fax               4.825      1    .028      .060     .029
Alternative order       6.267      1    .012      .078     .013

8. REFERENCES

Anonymous. (2002). Users Wary of e-Commerce Sites. Retrieved April 27, 2002, from http://msnbc.com/news/739065.asp

Aroner, J. (2003). Fortune 500 Companies Taking Action to Protect Consumer Privacy. Retrieved January 3, 2004, from http://www.truste.org/about/Global Brands_Protect_Privacy.html

Benassi, P. (1999). TRUSTe: An Online Privacy Seal Program. Communications of the ACM, 42(2), 5659.

Brannigan, C., & Jager, P. d. (2003, September 8, 2003). Building E-Trust. Retrieved September 19, 2003, from http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2003/0,4814,84599,00.html

Cantwell, E. (2003, August 5). Forrester Research Projects US eCommerce to Hit $230 Billion In 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2003, from http://www.forrester.com/ER/Press/Release/0,1769,823,00.html

Cox, B. (2003, December 2). Online Shoppers Are Getting It Done Earlier. Retrieved January 3, 2004, from http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/retailing /print/0,,6061 3114761,00.html

Grabner-Kraeuter, S. (2002). The Role of Consumers' Trust in Online-shopping. Journal of Business Ethics, 39(1/2), 43-50.

Greenspan, R. (2003a, November 6, 2003). E-tailers Will See Green. Retrieved January 3, 2004, from http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/retailing /print/0,,6061_3105491,00.html

Greenspan, R. (2003b, September 18). More Spending More. Retrieved September 19, 2003, from http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/retailing /print/0,,6061_3079601,00.html

Heijden, H. v. d., Verhagen, T., & Creemers, M. (2003). Understanding Online Purchase Intentions: Contributions from Technology and Trust Perspectives. European Journal of Information Systems, 12, 41-48.

Hemphill, T. A. (2002). Electronic Commerce and Consumer Privacy: Establishing Online Trust in the U.S. Digital Economy. Business and Society Review, 107(2), 221-239.

Hodge, C. (2003). Identify Theft and Spam will Deter Online Shopping this Holiday Season. Retrieved January 6, 2004, from http://www.truste.org/about/HolidayShoppingandPrivacySurvey.htm

Hoffman, D. L., Novak, T. P., & Peralta, M. (1999). Building Consumer Trust Online. Communications of the ACM, 42(4), 80-85.

Luo, X. (2002). Trust Production and Privacy Concerns on the Internet: A Framework Based on Relationship Marketing and Social Exchange Theory. Industrial Marketing Management, 31, 111118.

Milne, G. R., & Boza, M. E. (1998). A Business Perspective on Database Marketing and Consumer Privacy Practices (Working Paper No. 98110). Cambridge, MA: Marketing Science Institute.

Miyazaki, A. D., & Krishnamurthy, S. (2002). Internet Seals of Approval: Effects on Online Privacy and Policies and Consumer Perceptions. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 36(1), 25-49.

Moorman, C., Deshpande, R., & Zaltman, G. (1992). Factors Affecting Trust in Market Research Relationships. Journal of Marketing, 57(January), 81-102.

Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The Commitment-Trust Theory of Relationship Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(July), 20-38.

Mudd, G. (2003, December 18). Weekly Online Retail Sales Break Through $2 Billion Mark, comScore Reports. Retrieved January 3, 2004, from http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?id=388

Peters, K., Wagner, M., Denery, P., & Giesen, L. (2002). Internet Retailer Best of the Web: the Top 50 Retailing Sites. Internet Retailer, December, 6-56.

Peters, K., Wagner, M., Denery, P., & Giesen, L. (2003). Internet Retailer Best of the Web: The Top 50 Retailing Sites. Internet Retailer, December, 1-72.

Petersen, S. (2000, May). Privacy Online: Fair Information Practices in the Electronic Marketplace: A Federal Trade Commission Report to Congress. Retrieved December 15, 2003, from http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/privacyinitiatives/promises_reptest.html Petersen, S. (2002, May 20). E-Biz Sites Continue Hunt for Credibility. eWeek, 39.

Scheleur, S., & King, C. (2003). Retail E-Commerce Sales in Third Quarter 2003 Were $13.1 Billion, up 27.0 Percent from Third Quarter 2002, Census Bureau Reports. Retrieved January 4, 2004, from http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/current.html

Turban, E., King, D., Lee, J., Warkentin, M., & Chung, H. M. (2002). Electronic Commerce: a Managerial Perspective. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

Urban, G. L., Sultan, F., & Quails, W. J. (2000). Placing Trust at the Center of Your Internet Strategy. Sloan Management Review, Fall, 39-48.

Warrington, T. B., Abgrab, N. J., & Caldwell, H. M. (2000). Building Trust to Develop Competitive Advantage in E-Business Relationships. Competiveness Review, 10(2), 160-168.

Yoon, S. J. (2002). The Antecedents and Consequences of Trust in Online-Purchase Decisions. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 16(2), 47-63.

Zemke, R., & Connellan, T. (2001). e-service. New York: AMACOM.

Author Profile

Peggy Osborne is associate professor of marketing at Morehead State University, Morehead, Kentucky.

Dr. Michelle B. Kunz earned her Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1997. Currently she is associate professor of marketing at Morehead State University, Morehead, Kentucky.