Online food shopping and the Greek consumer : a qualitative insight into the factors that influence trust in online food shopping

Abstract

With the rapid improvement on technology online shopping has been on the rise. E-commerce has evolved to match the ever changing preferences of the consumers. E-commerce has changed the shape of the market as well as the links in the supply value chain and the interactions between them. In this dissertation we are going to investigate what are the factors that influence trust in online food shopping. Furthermore, we will be getting an insight on how Greek consumers interpret trust, along with how retailers can build up consumers' trust. In order to answer these questions we are going to assume qualitative research by conducting semi-structured interviews, with eight participants. What we found was that Greek consumers perceive food is important thus they require visible and "tangible" proof of whether or not an online retailer can be trusted enough to deliver the quality and safety they require when purchasing food products. Since. Greek consumers feel safer when they can actually see the products, a mix of a physical and electronic proofs"can reassure distrustful consumers. Moreover, staying true to the values that they promote, delivering on time and without mistakes or defects, are other factors that boosts consumers' confidence and earns their trust.