Exploring the Drivers of E-Commerce through the Application of Structural Equation Modeling

E-commerce is a form of trade that has gained increasing attention from consumers and sellers. However, despite high growth rates, e-commerce still has low levels of consumers. This study aims to determine the factors that influence the purchasing decision in e-commerce, in order to better understand acceptance or rejection of e-commerce among consumers. To this end, a first framework was constructed based on previous research on consumer adoption of e-commerce. Then, three categories (derived from interviews) were added. This more complete model was tested using the structural equation model based on partial least squares. The results obtained allow us to conclude that the perceived relative advantage, the ease of use, the drawbacks associated with a non-European Union country of sale and the perceived risk, directly influence the consumer’s purchase intent in e-commerce. We also found a set of twelve variables that act as indirect influences.