Track: E-Business and E-Commerce

Abstract

E-marketplaces are tangible manifestations of the development of technology and communication. Unlike in the past when people tended to be skeptical of buying products online, nowadays some e-marketplace sites have recorded dramatic numbers of visitors. The COVID-19 pandemic also encourages an increase in online purchase activities. Today's online sellers also sell fresh food products such as fruit and vegetables in their online store on the e-marketplace. This becomes interesting to study considering the commonly believed risk of getting not-so-fresh products with the fact that fresh food’s quality might deteriorate while in transit. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this quantitative study with convenience sampling is to determine the impact of three major predictors of the theory on the intention to purchase fresh food products at online stores on e-marketplaces. Besides, online trust in store (OTIS) is used to mediate the two constructs of subjective norm (online review and peer communication) on purchase intention. Through responses from 228 respondents from Indonesia, analyzed using PLS-SEM, findings indicate that subjective norms and perceived behavioral control have no significant influence on purchase intentions. It was also found that OTIS was successful in mediating the two constructs of subjective norm on purchase intention.

Keywords:

TPB, Purchase Intention, Fresh Food, Subjective Norm, E-marketplace