Understanding Repeat Purchase Intentions And Uncertainty In The Context Of Online Shopping

The distant and impersonal nature of e-commerce (EC) and the unpredictability of the Internet infrastructure generate an implicit uncertainty around online transactions. Moreover, customer repeat purchasing is critical to the e-commerce vendor’s survival and success. However, few studies explain online repeat purchase from an uncertainty perspective. The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual model to examine the sources of uncertainty and types of uncertainty in an online transaction, which affect online repeat purchase intentions. We drew on uncertainty and online repeat purchase literature to formulate a conceptual model that identifies the sources of uncertainty, and three types of uncertainty (seller uncertainty, product uncertainty and environmental uncertainty) are respectively proposed as formative second-order constructs. The proposed structural model is empirically tested with data from 554 experienced online shoppers, and then analyzed using Structure Equation Model (SEM). The results show that seller uncertainty and environmental uncertainty have a negative effect on repeat purchase intentions. Implications for theory and practice and suggestions for future research are discussed.