The importance of trust for electronic commerce satisfaction: an entrepreneurial perspective

Social commerce has seen a prosperous growth following the rise of social media, in particular, social networking sites have established novel ways to communicate and transact between firms and people. The rise of new technologies has also directed to changes in how entrepreneurs convey their business. Despite intensive social commerce research, the challenges of social commerce for entrepreneurs have attracted less attention and especially neglected the role of trust and satisfaction in electronic commerce.

This research use a survey to collect data. The authors use structural equation modeling-partial least square (SEM-PLS) to analysis the data. This quantitative research provides new insights in the food industry.

This research thus provides insights into social commerce by analyzing the role of trust in the relationship between customers' social media activities and customers' satisfaction. The present study finds a mediating effect of trust in developing satisfaction. Social media activities facilitate a positive level of trust that in turn creates a satisfying environment for customers in social commerce. The research provides theoretical and practical implications at the end of the study.

The findings provide good knowledge for the food industry to stay connected with customers and develop their satisfaction.