Background: Opportunities for companies to interact with both each other and consumers expand drastically due to the everyday life that is getting more digital. Something that is important for businesses is loyalty. In order to gain loyalty from a customer, companies need to gain the customer’s trust first. Trust has a significant role when business is conducted, but since there is a larger distance in an online context where there is a lack of direct contact trust gets more vital. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explain the impacts of antecedents on trust in an online B2B context. Hypotheses: H1: Ability has a positive impact on trust in an online B2B context H2: Benevolence has a positive impact on trust in an online B2B context H3: Internalised norms has a positive impact on trust in an online B2B context H4: Accountability has a positive impact on trust in an online B2B context Methodology: A quantitative research approach has been used and the empirical data has been collected through a questionnaire. Conclusion: The hypotheses are being rejected in the conclusion due to lack of significance in the relationship between the concept trust online and the concepts: ability, benevolence, internalised norms and accountability. Since there was no relation the conceptual model was rejected as well.

Master Thesis in Business Administration and Marketing, School of Economics at Linnæus University, 4FE02E, Spring 2011  Authors: Viktor Petersson and Markus Svensson  Tutor: Åsa Devine  Examiner: Sarah Philipsson  Title: Electronic Commerce - In Customer Service We Trust  Background: Technological innovations have changed the business environment, and using E-commerce has increased in importance over the last decade. Two aspects that have been discussed within E-commerce are the possibilities and concerns of offering customer service and communicate trust towards customers.  Purpose: Increase the understanding of how companies use E-commerce, to provide customer service and trust.  Delimitation: During theory funneling many different aspects and theories discussing problems, opportunities and risks within E-commerce was found. After evaluating this existing material, it was concluded that the whole E-commerce phenomenon was a huge task to study. Therefore, this study is limited to focus on customer service and trust aspects within E-commerce.  Research question: What web site attributes are used to provide both customer service and trust, within E-commerce?  Method: The empirical material was gathered through semi-structured interviews and web site observations of three Swedish hotels. Follow-up phone interviews and email conversation with the hotels was made to get deeper understanding of the subject.  Conclusion: This research shows that especially three web site attributes for these hotels were used to provide both customer service and trust through E-commerce. The three attributes were (1) interacting with customers, (2) an easy to use and navigate web site, and (3) offering updated and relevant information.  Keywords: customer service, customer service online, E-commerce, electronic-commerce, trust, trust online.

This research investigates ways to help shoppers evaluate physical products via the Internet. The primary research issue is, therefore, how to provide experience vicariously. The study was undertaken in three parts. First, an extensive range of Web sites belonging to Internet-based retailers was examined, together with literature on vicarious experience and Web page design. These helped to explore the question of ‘What components of Web-based representations of physical products might assist shoppers when trying to evaluate those products as part of a purchase decision?’ Online store systems that are representative of the main communication styles found in the Web survey were then evaluated in a series of laboratory-based experiments. This second part of the study makes a broad assessment of the impact of representative technologies on the product evaluation process. Finally, a smaller-scale, more targeted investigation was conducted, also using a laboratory-based experiment. This third part of the study assesses the impact of an individual’s evaluation style on the perceived success of representative technologies.