REGULATORY BELIEFS AND TRUST: ADAPTATION OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL ACCEPTANCE MODEL TO E-COMMERCE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN ECUADOR

Abstract

Although e-commerce currently shows constant growth due to lockdown measures implemented to face the covid-19 pandemic, there are few studies of its acceptance in Ecuador. This research analyzes Ecuadorian consumers’ intention towards e-commerce usage through the technology acceptance model adapted to normative beliefs and trust variables. The research instrument was applied to 360 people, and the results were analyzed using the pls-sem technique. Results show that perceived trust does not significantly influence the intention to use e-commerce. At the same time, regulatory beliefs and competition in electronic devices are the factors that most influence users' decisions. This result expands on the analysis of the effect of the pandemic on the familiarity of using digital media, concluding that e-commerce was adopted because the shopper had no alternatives in a lockdown context. Moreover, the lack of confidence could motivate a return to traditional commerce when shoppers can do so. For this reason, companies should optimize their digital practices and relations with consumers to provide the confidence the Ecuadorian consumer is yet to receive.