Examination of brand knowledge, perceived risk and consumers' intention to adopt an online retailer

摘要

Internet retailing, though having great potential, is faced with high a mortality rate of online retailers. This research survey is to find what factors are really salient in determining consumer's intention to adopt an (purchase products from a specified) online retailer. A conceptual model based on brand theory, risk theory and information theory was developed to understand the causal relationships among brand knowledge, perceived risk, search action and the intention to adopt an online retailer, and tested in an online survey. Structural equation model, a multivariate statistical technique, was used to guide the analysis and interpretation of the data, which led to the following inferences. 1. Brand knowledge has a direct and positive effect on intention to adopt an online retailer, and this effect can be mediated by perceived risk to a large extent. 2. Perceived risk positively relates to online search action. The model is sustainable to extended analysis involving control variables: demographic profile variables, Internet use frequency, and risk preferences.