How Offline-To-Online Trust Transference Affect the Foundation of Online Banking Initial Trust: An Empirical Investigation

The objective of this research is to reveal the mechanisms associated with the initial formation of people´s trust in online banking and intention to use the service. And this research fills a research gap by focusing on offline to online trust transfer process, which has received almost no attention. For this, we attempt to understand the effect of three antecedent factors (structural assurance, compatibility and relative advantage) on shaping a customer´s initial trust in online banking and usage intention. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of customers´ offline banking trust on the initial trust in online banking and its antecedents. The study tests hypothesis by using a sample of 343 users who have available device to use online banking. Results show that offline trust positively influences initial trust in online banking and customers´ perceived structural assurance, relative advantage and compatibility of online banking, just as proposed. Thus, offline-to-online trust transfer process should be considered when designing multichannel strategies and attracting customers to use online banking.