Factors Impacting Chinese Consumers´ Macro-Level Trust on B2C E-Commerce: A Research of Model Development

Lack of consumers´ trust is one of the most frequent cited reasons for consumers not to purchase from Internet shops. In the e-commerce context, based on the trustee, trust can be categorized to macro-level and micro-level. The macro-level trust provides the threshold for customers to enter e-markets. In China, the most important thing is whether or not consumers trust e-commerce environment. Hence, a macro-level trust research model was developed. The model presents the primary relationships between macro-level trust in e-commerce and four groups of main potential antecedents: the hardware and software foundations of Internet, support systems of e-commerce, legal systems of e-commerce, social cultural environment. The individual trust propensity is believed to positively moderate the effect of these antecedents on macro-level trust.