| Keywords [eng] |
cross-border e-commerce (CBEC), cross-border online store, purchase intention, consumer trust, technological factors, psychological factors, consumer-based factors, UTAUT2, first-time buyers, emerging markets. |
| Abstract [eng] |
This study examines the factors that influence consumers’ first-time purchase intention in cross-border e-commerce (CBEC), with a special focus on trust. Based on the UTAUT2 model and individual-difference factors, the research analyzes how technological, psychological, and cultural factors shape trust in foreign online platforms and sellers, and how this trust affects purchase intention. Data were collected through an online survey among Pakistani consumers and analyzed using statistical methods to test the proposed relationships. The rapid growth of cross-border e-commerce has created new opportunities for consumers, but it has also increased uncertainty, perceived risk, and lack of trust, especially for first-time buyers in emerging economies. Consumers often hesitate to purchase from foreign online platforms due to concerns about payment security, product quality, delivery reliability, and unfamiliar sellers. Although many studies have examined online purchase behavior, there is still limited empirical understanding of how trust is formed in cross-border settings and how technological, social, and cultural factors jointly influence first-time purchase intention. Therefore, this study aims to examine the factors that shape trust in cross-border e-commerce platforms or sellers and to analyze how this trust affects consumers’ first-time purchase intention. Specifically, the objectives of the study are to identify the effects of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation, digital acculturation, consumer cosmopolitanism, and trust propensity on trust, the effect of trust on purchase intention, and whether cultural intelligence moderates the relationship between social influence and purchase intention in CBEC. This study applied a quantitative research approach using a structured online survey among consumers who had no prior experience with cross-border online shopping or who were willing to make their first purchase from a foreign online store. The questionnaire was based on validated measurement scales and adapted to the CBEC context. A total of 317 valid responses were analyzed. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics and reliability analysis were conducted, followed by correlation and multiple regression analyses to test the hypotheses. The PROCESS macro (Model 1) was applied to examine the moderating role of cultural intelligence. The results show that performance expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation, consumer cosmopolitanism, and trust propensity have significant positive effects on trust in the CBEC platform or seller. Effort expectancy and digital acculturation were not significant predictors of trust. Trust was found to have a strong positive effect on purchase intention, confirming its central role in reducing uncertainty and perceived risk. Cultural intelligence had a significant direct effect on purchase intention but did not moderate the relationship between social influence and purchase intention. Overall, the findings support the importance of trust in first-time cross-border online purchasing decisions. This study concludes that trust is the most important factor influencing consumers’ first-time purchase intention in cross-border e-commerce. Consumers are more willing to buy from foreign platforms when they perceive them as useful, enjoyable, culturally open, and socially supported, and when they have a general tendency to trust others. Trust helps reduce uncertainty related to fraud, payment security, product quality, and delivery risks. Although cultural intelligence increases purchase intention directly, it does not change the effect of social influence on intention. Overall, the study shows that trust connects technological, psychological, and cultural factors with consumer behavior and plays a key role in encouraging first-time participation in cross-border online shopping, especially in emerging economies. |
