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Trusting me, trusting you: Evaluating three forms of trust on an information‐rich consumer review website

Journal of Consumer Behaviour

Published online on

Abstract

When faced with a lack of information, consumers turn to trust to make a decision; but what happens to trust when individuals are confronted with the wealth of data on the Internet? This study evaluates three forms of trust in information‐abundant contexts: trust in the site, trust in the reviewers, and a postulated third form, trust‐in‐self. It looks at the roles of these three forms of trust in the information‐rich travel review website TripAdvisor. Two studies of site users, interviews (N = 30) and a survey (N = 237), found trust‐in‐self was highly influential in purchase decision making. Further, even with so much information, consumers sought more; the site is just one source they turn to, and they cross‐check among sources. The study concludes that any trust consumers have in TripAdvisor is not so much in the reviewers or the site, but in their own selves. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.