Trust, Risk and Benefit in Electronic Commerce: What Are the Relationships?

What does trust mean? Is trust really important to a consumer as it relates to electronic commerce? What are the relationships between consumer trust and other variables such as a consumer’s perception of risk and a consumer’s perception of benefit? To answer these questions, this paper proposes three alternative models related to consumer trust, risk, and benefit, and tests the relationships proposed from the models using consumer behavior data collected via a Web based survey.