EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF CONSUMER TRUST ON ELECTRONIC WORD-OF-MOUTH (E-WOM) IN E-COMMERCE STORES IN COLOMBIA

ABSTRACT

ASBTRACT Restrictions imposed to contain covid-19 during 2020 caused a large growth in e-commerce that was not the same for all products. The product categories with less favorable performance require tools to stim-ulate sales through the digital channel, while high-selling products need to retain their customers. Within such a setting, the generation of electronic word of mouth (e-WoM) is one of the marketing strategy tools that foster e-commerce, so it is important to analyze the variables that affect this asset. One of these variables is consumer confidence in online stores, which has proved to promote e-WoM in international contexts. To add to this field of study, we conducted a cross-sectional research based on a structural equation model that adopts confidence and e-WOM scales found in the literature, which were validated using the partial least squares regression technique in the SmartPLS3 software. Additionally, a group of customers of B2C e-commerce stores in Bogotá, Medellín and Cali were surveyed. Our results show that marketing experts in Colombia should look for mechanisms to strengthen trust in online stores, as this contributes to the spread of electronic word of mouth. © 2023, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. All rights reserved.