Trust and Purchase Intention on Online Shops Amid Covid 19 Pandemic: As Basis for Regulatory Policy

Abstract

Online shops are inevitable. It is the future of commerce. The convenience it offers surpasses all previous platforms of exchange combined. During this pandemic, online shops have seen a tremendous business opportunity as it has become the only option to acquire necessities for survival amid lockdowns. The rise in the number of online shops is like mushrooms, sprouting everywhere, where there is almost no chance of knowing which are bogus and legitimate. Hence, skeptical minds begin to question the security of online purchases. Many fears, but some are confident. This paper presents the primary demographical distribution of the online customers, preferred payment options, level of trust in online shops, and, more importantly, shows customers’ purchase intentions towards different shop characteristics. It was concluded that the e-commerce industry in the country enjoys a relatively high trust rating among its customers. And that customers have higher purchase intention to shops that offer cash on delivery, fast delivery time, responsive customer service, accessible to both web and apps, and sell cheap products.