The Effectiveness of Two Online Persuasion Claims: Limited Product Availability and Product Popularity

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of two online persuasion claims: limited product availability (e.g., only 3 items left) and product popularity (e.g., 94% of consumers bought this product after viewing this site). The popularity claim appeared to enhance quality perception, particularly among highly risk-averse consumers, and purchase intention. We attribute these findings to the quality signaling effect and the bandwagon effect of the claim. On the other hand, the limited availability claim exerted no influence: low message credibility and the lack of psychological reactance are deemed to be possible reasons for the insignificant effect of the claim.     

论消费者对网络银行安全问题的防范

现今网络银行已走进我们的生活,消费者在购物的同时也能享受到它所带来的方便。但随着网银业务的不断发展,也带来了不少安全问题,病毒、黑客等不安全因素正威胁着消费者的账户安全。本文以网上交易为例,从消费者的权益出发,重点论述了对网络银行账户安全可能造成威胁的几个因素,并列举了如今作为消费者能够采取的多种防范措施,和所能享受到的多种安全保障服务。     

中小企业建站需求在线管理平台的设计与实现

中小企业网站建设项目的实施过程容易出现因需求的频繁变更而导致的尴尬局面.本需求在线管理平台是以中小企业建站项目需求的有效获取和控制为目的而研发的服务于建站双方的需求管理系统,主要用于中小企业与建站服务公司之间的需求沟通,解决了建站服务过程中项目需求频繁变更而无约束控制的问题.     

The Impact of a Third-Party Assurance Seal in Customer Purchasing Intention

ABSTRACT

Although e-commerce is evolving at an incredible speed, asymmetric information and opportunism have increased online purchasing risks and market inefficiencies. The lack of face-to-face contact and the inability of the customer to touch and feel tangible products necessitate that online business must provide customers with reliable information and convince customers of their trustworthiness. While the research on Third-Party Assurance Seals (TPAS) is not new, the effectiveness of TPAS has not been persuasively addressed by empirical studies. Our study is different from previous efforts in that it is comprehensive because it combines consumer trust, perceived risk, and influences of TPAS in the B2C e-commerce context. The results of the study show that (1) the effects of TPAS on perceived risk are channeled through perceived trustworthiness, thus demonstrating the mediating role of perceived trustworthiness in B2C e-commerce, (2) perceived risk, perceived usefulness of website, and subjective norm appear to be significant predictors of intention to purchase from the website, (3) a third-party assurance seal strongly affects online shoppers' perceived trustworthiness toward online retailers, while the seal appears to have little effect on perceived risk directly; perceived risk is strongly associated with intention to purchase from the website.     

Online Gambling: Murky Legal Status and Vulnerable Socio-Economic Environment Pose Public Policy Challenges

ABSTRACT

The marketing of online gambling has been successful, measured by the revenues being generated and by its tremendous growth in popularity. After examining a growing body of relevant literature, this study analyzes the legal environment of the United States and European markets and its impact on the affected stakeholders. It was found that the legal status of Internet gambling in the United States is in a flux while enforcement is largely ineffective. An exploration of several future scenarios for the legal environment identifies the dire need for clarification of the legal status of the market as the federal government's most important policy challenge. Some suggestions made regarding future research include studies on promotion and consumer welfare.     

What Makes Consumers Willing to Pay for Online Services? Discovering Consumer Opinions and Determinant Factors on Charged Online Services

ABSTRACT

Recently, more and more service e-businesses began to charge their consumers on the services provided to assure revenues for their survival. An understanding of consumer opinions on and behaviors toward the charged online services is critical to successful business models for service e-business. Through survey data analyses, the exploratory study reported herein attempts to discover consumer opinions and behaviors regarding charged online services. The findings of this study would contribute effectively to the formulation and implementation of sustainable business models for e-businesses in the service sector.     

Trust Promoting Seals in Electronic Markets

Abstract

In order to promote web sales, companies conducting electronic commerce are constantly seeking viable and efficient ways to increase web traffic. One approach is to build consumers' trust, and ultimately to increase web sales. Many business-to-consumer online merchants follow this approach and display trust-promoting seals on their websites. However, whether these seals really fulfill the tasks they have promised has remained unexplored. This study empirically examines the influence of trust-promoting seals on consumers' online purchasing decisions. The results show that the trust-promoting seals are generally effective in promoting web sales, and some seals enhance promotion better than others.     

The Psychological Influences of Threat on B2C E-commerce Adoption: An Extended Study and Explanatory Framework

In order to better understand how internet users actually decide to conduct business transactions or related activities in a B2C e-commerce environment, this article adds a new lens of study by investigating the roles of Threat Appraisal (TA) and Perceived Coping Appraisal (PCA) from the end user's perspective. Based on established academic theories and relevant industrial practices, it is suggested that TA and PCA are critical behavioral components influencing the user's intentions to participate in online transactions. These functions serve as important inputs to formalizing our understanding of how services offered by e-commerce websites are utilized.     

Strategic marketing concepts and models

In this second of two articles on strategic marketing planning the author describes the techniques that have been developed to aid analysis of marketing information. Analytical frameworks such as the product life‐cycle, the growth‐share matrix, the Business Assessment Array and the Directional Policy Matrix are discussed and the benefits and pitfalls associated with strategic planning frameworks are considered by the author.     

基于SET数字证书的在线支付身份认证方案

文章对基于SET协议的电子商务系统中的身份认证进行了研究,将SET规范与RSA算法以及第三方证书认证相结合,提出了一种SET在线支付体系中对交易各方进行身份认证的方案,为电子商务的信息安全、支付安全的解决方案提供了充分的依据。