Rebuilding Consumer Trust in eCommerce Relationships

Several researchers have studied trust in the electronic commerce context. Much of this work is aimed at establishing initial trust, with some recent research on maintaining on-going trust between consumer and vendor. This paper examines a related aspect of trust in the e-Commerce environment, namely trust violations and their subsequent repair. It draws upon research in professional trust relationships and adapts it to the e-Commerce context. It proposes a conceptual model that relates trust violation characteristics, vendor reconciliation tactics, and individual consumer characteristics as relevant determinants of the consumer's willingness to reconcile. Given the large range of possible trust violations in on-line purchases, and increasing competition among vendors, it becomes imperative for earnest vendors to provide sincere opportunities to repair the trusting relationship with devoted consumers.