Building Consumer Trust in Online Food Marketplaces: The Role of Wechat Marketing

Abstract

Consumer trust receives high attention in food marketplaces, however, little research focuses on how to build consumer trust in the online context. Drawing on signaling theory and presence theory, this paper proposes a comprehensive framework with which to explain the influence mechanism of WeChat food marketing on consumer trust. Utilizing data from 672 consumers in China’s WeChat food marketplaces, this study conducted a partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis. The findings indicate that food seller’s content behavior and interactive behavior on WeChat positively affect consumer trust through the mediating effect of consumer’s perceived information quality and presence. And consumer trust can enhance consumer loyalty. This study extends the research on consumer trust in online food marketplaces. It also provides certain theoretical guidance for food marketers to make better use of WeChat for trust building.