Exploring Factors Affecting Trust and Purchase Behavior in Virtual Communities

Recent years, virtual communities (VCs) have gotten greater attention from researchers. In order to investigate how to build trust in such an environment (VC) and what influences this kind of trust would have on the consumers' behaviors, this study proposes a model combined trust building mechanisms and the consumer purchase decision-making process. Analysis of the data collected from Taobao Virtual Community shows that familiarity, perceived similarity, structural assurance, and trust propensity are important antecedents to trust in members of VCs, and this trust prompts the trust in the vendor or website. Trust in members and trust in the vendor or VC provider further affect members' getting information intention and purchase intention, while getting information intention positively affects purchase intention.