Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
Volume 15, Issue 2, Pages 79-104Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.2753/JEC1086-4415150203
Keywords
Counterfeit deception; deception in e-commerce; product presentation; signaling theory; theory of deception; Web site trust signals
Categories
Funding
- PSC-CUNY [61783-00 39]
- CUNY Graduate Center
- Sue Rosenberg Zalk Student Travel and Research Fund
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The Internet makes it possible for counterfeiters to sell imitation goods without prior consumer inspection. Counterfeiters leveraging this opportunity may use product presentation and Web site signals to represent counterfeit goods as genuine. Based on deception and signaling theories, it is proposed that counterfeiters use product presentation to manipulate signals that might otherwise identify a product as a fake and Web site trust signals to present themselves as legitimate business entities. An experiment demonstrates that advanced product presentation has a positive influence on user perceptions of the authenticity of products and increases user willingness to buy on-line. The absence of Web site trust signals provides significant evidence of the untruthfulness of a seller and decreases users' willingness to buy on-line. The results of this study provide the basis for a cautionary note to on-line buyers and will help prevent deception by sellers of counterfeit products who use advanced presentation techniques.
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