Record Details

Virtual Agent: A Determinant of Online Social Presence and Consumer Trust in Websites

International Journal of Economic Practices and Theories

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Field Value
 
Title Virtual Agent: A Determinant of Online Social Presence and Consumer Trust in Websites
 
Creator Charfi, Ahmed Anis
Atif, Muhammad
 
Subject Marketing
Virtual Agents, Virtual atmosphere, Social Presence, Consumer Trust, Online Behavioral Intentions, Word-of-Mouth
M39
 
Description In the backdrop of rapidly changing technologically environment and rising consumer expectations, questions about the factors that make consumer more trustful of websites remain a subject interest for the researchers. One of these factors is the virtual presence of an agent on a website; a way to reduce the physical and social distance between consumers and companies. The objective of this study is to unearth the effects of such virtual agents on online social presence of websites. The study explores the effects of variables of social presence, consumer trust, online behavioral intentions, and the word-of-mouth. These formed the antecedents of the causal model which utilized SOR framework (Mehrabian and Russell , 1974; Bitner , 1992). Two well known commercial website were chosen for the study. A self-administered questionnaire was conducted on a representative sample of 481 French adults. The results showed a strong support for the relationship between virtual agents, social presence, and consumer trust. While consumer trust was found to influence online consumer behavior and word-of-mouth, thus confirming the previous research.
 
Publisher International Journal of Economic Practices and Theories
 
Contributor
 
Date 2014-10-01
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Peer-reviewed Article
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://www.ijept.org/index.php/ijept%20/article/view/Virtual_Agent_A_Determinant_of_Online_Social_Presence_and_Consumer_Trust_in_Websites
 
Source International Journal of Economic Practices and Theories; Vol 4, No 5 (2014): Special issue on Marketing and Business Development; 796-806
2247 – 7225
 
Language eng
 
Relation http://www.ijept.org/index.php/ijept%20/article/view/Virtual_Agent_A_Determinant_of_Online_Social_Presence_and_Consumer_Trust_in_Websites/pdf_53