The role of culture in e‐commerce use for the Egyptian consumers

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to systematically research and characterise the cultural response of a particular culture in the use of e‐commerce systems. The research paper highlights the roles of trust, uncertainty avoidance (UA), internet store familiarity, and reputation as the main salient factors affecting the perception of the targeted group toward e‐commerce.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs a laboratory experiential survey with 370 Egyptian internet users during an internet shopping experience. The results are analysed using a number of statistical techniques including structural equation modelling.

Findings

The research highlights the significant role of the internet store's perceived familiarity and reputation as the main antecedents of online trust. The relationship between trust and its two antecedents are found to be culturally sensitive; the high UA of the consumer is found to be associated with a stronger effect of the store's reputation on trust, and a stronger effect of the store's familiarity on trust.

Research limitations/implications

This research deals with intentions, not actual e‐commerce behaviour. However, there is a general consensus amongst researchers to assume that the degree to which people express their intentions to buy from an internet site is a reasonable predictor of the actual purchase behaviour. Also, UA, which is posited in this research as an important element of e‐commerce adoption, may have a different effect on the actual purchase behaviour.

Originality/value

The paper examines the interaction of a certain sub‐type of the Arab culture with various elements that are assumed to affect on‐line purchasing behaviour, which has not been examined in this depth elsewhere in the literature.

Citation

Refaat El Said, G. and Galal‐Edeen, G.H. (2009), "The role of culture in e‐commerce use for the Egyptian consumers", Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 34-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/14637150910931451