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The interplay of website aesthetics and information quality on website trust
Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing,
2
(3),
269-280
(2014)
Abstract
This study examines the role of website aesthetics and information quality on website trust based on the tenets of signalling theory and the cue-diagnostics framework. A conceptual framework is developed that differentiates between extrinsic and intrinsic cues and suggests that the importance of one cue depends on the presence of the other cues in the online environment. The framework is then used to investigate the relative and moderating impacts of website aesthetics on website trust in the presence of information quality. Using data from a cross-sectional survey, this study demonstrates that website aesthetics and information quality have a positive impact on website trust, but the effect of website aesthetics on website trust is stronger relative to the effect of information quality. The study also finds that website aesthetics moderates the relationships between information quality and website trust such that the effect of information quality on website trust is weaker for the website with more appealing website aesthetics than for the website with less appealing website aesthetics. Such results have important theoretical implications for academicians and managerial implications for online businesses.
Keywords: website aesthetics; information quality; website trust; signalling theory; extrinsic cue; intrinsic cue
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Ankit Kesharwani is assistant professor of marketing and strategy at IBS Hyderabad, IFHE University. He was a visiting researcher at the University of Memphis from August 2011 to June 2012. Ankit has published several research papers in reputable international journals, including Services Marketing Quarterly, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Journal of Digital and Social Media Marketing, Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, Greatlakes Herald, etc. His teaching interests include online marketing, marketing management, marketing research and marketing analytics. Ankit’s research revolves around topics in innovation and the diffusion of technology, technology adoption and website quality.
