Brand personality moderating effect on relationship between website quality and online trust: Malaysian online environment context

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to examine whether the brand personality which includes two dimensions namely, (sincerity/trustworthiness) and (youthfulness/modernity), can moderate the relationship between website quality and online trust. This study considers the impact of the quality of website on online trust and the extent it encourages purchase intentions in the Malaysian context. The data for the study were collated from responses from a sample of 229 college students in Malaysia. The survey included questions on items that measured brand personality, web site quality, online trust and purchase intentions. The data was evaluated by applying multiple regression analysis to establish the relationship among variables.The findings indicate that both dimensions of brand personality, namely (sincerity/trustworthiness) and (youthfulness/modernity) are able to moderate the relationship between web site quality and online trust. However, the results suggest that the impact of (youthfulness/modernity) is more significant compared to (sincerity/trustworthiness).It was evident that in the Malaysian context, it was imperative for an organization to present an updated and exciting website to attract more consumers to purchase online through its website. This study enhances and augments the existing pool of knowledge on websites with special emphasis on online transactions. This study provides a better understanding on the perception of Malaysian customers towards web-based transactions. The findings also offer valuable information to the marketing and information managers of organizations with regard to online business transactions.