TY - JOUR
T1 - Reviews, trust, and customer experience in online marketplaces
T2 - the case of Mercado Libre Colombia
AU - Peña-García, Nathalie
AU - Losada-Otálora, Mauricio
AU - Auza, David Pérez
AU - Cruz, María Paula
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2024 Peña-García, Losada-Otálora, Auza and Cruz.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Purpose: The research focuses on the crucial role of online reviews in shaping consumer trust in e-commerce platforms, examining the impact of perceived authentic and fake reviews on purchasing decisions and platform reputation. It assesses how consumers perceive review authenticity and quality and their effects on trust levels in reviews, marketplaces, and reputation systems. It also explores the relationship between trust forms and overall experiences. Design/methodology: A quantitative approach is employed, utilizing a questionnaire distributed to recent Mercado Libre buyers. To test hypotheses, data from 326 valid responses are analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings: Findings reveal that fake review perception negatively affects trust in rating systems, while high-quality reviews positively influence all trust forms. Customer experience is directly impacted by trust in marketplaces and rating systems, indicating a mediation effect of trust in the rating system on the relationship between fake review perception and customer experience. Research limitations/implications: Limitations include using a convenience sample and focusing on trust in the rating system rather than reviews or the marketplace, suggesting avenues for future research. Practical implications include recommendations to ensure review quality, enhance rating system controls, and promote review usage in the purchase process. Originality: The study addresses a timely and relevant gap in understanding the impact of reviews on e-commerce trust, particularly within the context of Latin America and Mercado Libre’s dominance in the region’s e-commerce landscape.
AB - Purpose: The research focuses on the crucial role of online reviews in shaping consumer trust in e-commerce platforms, examining the impact of perceived authentic and fake reviews on purchasing decisions and platform reputation. It assesses how consumers perceive review authenticity and quality and their effects on trust levels in reviews, marketplaces, and reputation systems. It also explores the relationship between trust forms and overall experiences. Design/methodology: A quantitative approach is employed, utilizing a questionnaire distributed to recent Mercado Libre buyers. To test hypotheses, data from 326 valid responses are analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings: Findings reveal that fake review perception negatively affects trust in rating systems, while high-quality reviews positively influence all trust forms. Customer experience is directly impacted by trust in marketplaces and rating systems, indicating a mediation effect of trust in the rating system on the relationship between fake review perception and customer experience. Research limitations/implications: Limitations include using a convenience sample and focusing on trust in the rating system rather than reviews or the marketplace, suggesting avenues for future research. Practical implications include recommendations to ensure review quality, enhance rating system controls, and promote review usage in the purchase process. Originality: The study addresses a timely and relevant gap in understanding the impact of reviews on e-commerce trust, particularly within the context of Latin America and Mercado Libre’s dominance in the region’s e-commerce landscape.
KW - Colombia
KW - customer experience
KW - fake reviews
KW - marketplace
KW - trust
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205893265&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fcomm.2024.1460321
DO - 10.3389/fcomm.2024.1460321
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85205893265
SN - 2297-900X
VL - 9
JO - Frontiers in Communication
JF - Frontiers in Communication
M1 - 1460321
ER -