Trust as a Mediator of the Relationship between Perceived Online Deception and Online Purchase Intention

Abstract

The problem of deceptive practices and the impact of deceptive practices on consumer behaviour has been extensively discussed in marketing, both in relation to off and online marketing. However, surprisingly, the direct impact of perceived online deception on consumers’ purchase intensions has not been established so far. In addition, in the Sri Lankan context, the literature on online marketing and consumption has paid scant attention to ethical concerns. This study investigated the impact of consumers’ perceived online deception and their purchase intentions with trust as a mediator in the Sri Lankan context. The study was a cross sectional survey utilising 110 consumers. Analysis utilising regression analysis indicated that although perceived online deception does have an impact on consumer purchase intensions, it is at a low level of significance. This impact was found to be completely mediated by trust.