A STUDY OF E-TRUST IN ONLINE AUCTIONS

This study attempts to examine the antecedents and outcomes of e-trust in online auctions. Antecedents, technical and social bonds, and outcomes of e-trust were chosen in order to apply the concepts of relationship marketing to electronic commerce and to further develop this conceptual model in the context of online auctions by incorporating these factors into one model. A case has been made that in this conceptual model the concepts of technical and social bonds serve to significantly contribute to word-of-mouse and e-loyalty (behavioral and attitudinal) through e-trust. This study has revealed that technical and social bonds, with the exception of one technical bond (e. g., learning capability), have a significant positive impact on e-trust. E-trust also has a significant positive influence on word-of-mouse and e-loyalty. The implications of this study are that managers need to consider that e-trust, which is an important variable in online transactions.