Role of trusting beliefs in predicting purchase intentions

Purpose: Using India as our research venue, our work empirically models trusting beliefs with purchase intention, uncertainty avoidance, a firm’s reputation and price fairness. Design/Methodology: Our work is based on a sample of more than 200 Internet customers in India. In understanding our data and the relationships that emerged, we use a range of tools including CFA and SEM. To validate our work we also examine alternative models. Findings: Our study reveals that trusting beliefs are negatively influenced by an uncertainty avoidance culture and positively influenced by a firm’s reputation and a customer’s price fairness. Moreover, purchase intentions are significantly enhanced by trusting beliefs in an online environment. Implications/Limitations: Trust is an important component in online situations, but today a lack of trust is cited as the main reason for not making an online purchase. This research extends our appreciation of trusting beliefs and its conceptual relationship with a number of important constructs. Practical Implications: Our works shows how the Internet, as a channel, is influenced and thus how it can be managed. In making our contribution we provide guidance in terms of operational activity to engage with potential customers. By using a developing market for our empirical foundation, the findings are also applicable to markets displaying similar characteristics. Originality: This article examines trusting beliefs when using the Internet as a channel to market and in doing so it makes a new contribution because it establishes links with culture and other factors.