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DMIJ
3,4 Online shopping and moderating
role of offline brand trust
Soyoung Kim and Christie Jones
282 Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors,
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how offline brand trust moderates: the
relationship between consumers’ general attitude toward the internet and their perceptions of
the quality of a retailer’s web site and the relationship between their perceived web site quality and
intention to shop from the web site.
Design/methodology/approach – Two hundred young female consumers participate in the study.
Each selected one of three pre-determined apparel retailer brands that she has either had experience
with or are familiar with. Participants are then asked to keep their selected retailer in mind when
completing an online questionnaire. They are also asked to browse the retailer’s web site in search of a
shirt or blouse. Factor and multiple-regression analyses are conducted to test hypotheses.
Findings – Offline brand trust exerted a significant moderating effect in the relationship between the
efficiency factor of attitude toward the internet and the usability and information quality factor of web
site quality. Offline brand trust also played a moderating role in the relationship between the
interactivity factor of web site quality and online shopping intention. Implications for multi-channel
apparel retailers are discussed.
Originality/value – While a great deal of research has been conducted to study brand trust, most
has focused on product brands not on retail brands. Furthermore, none of the studies on brand trust
has questioned nor investigated the moderating role of retail brand trust in the relationship between
consumer characteristics and their attitudes and behaviors toward the company’s new business
format. This paper seeks to contribute to the extant literature on brand trust and multi-channel
retailing by exploring the role of offline brand trust in shopping at a multi-channel retailer’s web site.
Keywords Internet shopping, Consumer behaviour, Trust, Brand loyalty
Paper type Research paper

Introduction
A brand is “a name, term, sign, symbol, or design (or a combination) intended to
identify a seller’s goods or services, and to differentiate them from competitors”
(Lau and Lee, 1999, p. 344). Brand, however, encompasses more than a consumer’s idea
of the seller’s products; it also incorporates the seller’s company image and philosophy
along with their products. While most researchers studying the role of brand trust have
focused on product brands (Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001; Delgado-Ballester, 2004;
Wang, 2002), brand trust can also be established with regard to the retailers
themselves (Ailawadi and Keller, 2004; Hahn and Kim, 2009; Jarvenpaa et al., 2000).
With the growing competitiveness in the retail market retailers find that managing
brand images effectively is becoming more important, as it helps them differentiate
Direct Marketing: An International their offerings from competing retailers and also helps build a loyal customer base
Journal (Ailawadi and Keller, 2004). Compared to product brands, retailer brands are more
Vol. 3 No. 4, 2009
pp. 282-300 complex and multi-sensory in nature as they rely on customers’ experiences with not
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited only the retailers’ products but also their services, product assortment, pricing, and
1750-5933
DOI 10.1108/17505930911000874 store environment (Ailawadi and Keller, 2004; Chen and He, 2003). The current study
examined the role of a consumer’s trust in a retailer brand by testing hypotheses Offline brand
developed based on the brand trust and the retailing literature. trust
Numerous studies have demonstrated that brand trust is an underlying factor
contributing to brand commitment, purchase intention, loyalty, and brand extension
acceptance (Berry, 1995; Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001; Delgado-Ballester, 2004;
Delgado-Ballester et al., 2003; Lau and Lee, 1999; Rios and Riquelme, 2008; Wang, 2002).
Researchers have recently begun to explore brand trust on the internet (Ha, 2004; 283
Hahn and Kim, 2009; Harris and Goode, 2004) realizing the importance of brand trust in
internet companies’ marketing strategies, given the inherent uncertainty and decreasing
product differentiation in the internet business environment (Ha, 2004). Brand trust may
play a more critical role in online businesses than brick-and-mortar stores because online
businesses are essentially intangible and their consumers cannot use physical and
tangible features to infer trust (Rios and Riquelme, 2008). Although previous studies
(Flavián et al., 2006; Gefen et al., 2003; Gommans et al., 2001; Harris and Goode, 2004)
have supported the link between brand trust and brand loyalty or commitment for online
companies most of these studies have not considered the multi-channel business setting
and measured brand trust as trust in the online business rather than trust in the
company based on customer experiences with their brick-and-mortar stores (Rios and
Riquelme, 2008). Shankar et al. (2002) suggest that the investigation of trust for
multi-channel organizations should consider how that trust transfers across channels.
The current study, therefore, takes a distinct approach in that it examines how a
consumer’s trust in retailers who have established themselves through their
brick-and-mortar business influence the consumer’s perception of and behavioral
intention toward the retailer’s online business.
Additionally, most empirical work to date in brand trust has also been directed
toward understanding the role of brand trust as a direct or indirect determinant of
other attitudinal and behavioral variables (Delgado-Ballester and Munuera-Alemán,
2001; Hahn and Kim, 2009; Wang, 2002). Absent from the current literature is a
discussion of the moderating role of brand trust. The purpose of this study was to
examine how brand trust moderates:
.
The relationship between consumers’ general attitude toward the internet and
their perceptions of the quality of the retailer’s web site.
.
The relationship between their perceived web site quality and intention to shop
from the web site.

Literature review
Brand trust
Brand trust is defined as confident expectations of the brand’s reliability and intentions
(Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001; Lau and Lee, 1999) and is considered to be a central
ingredient contributing to a long-term bond between the consumer and the brand
(Hiscock, 2001). It is also viewed as a major component of brand equity (Bainbridge,
1997) and central to the development of brand loyalty (Berry, 1995; Wang, 2002).
Lau and Lee (1999) argued that brand trust is determined by several brand
characteristics such as brand reputation and brand predictability. Brand reputation,
defined as the opinion commonly held by other consumers that the brand is good or
reliable, is developed through product quality and performance as well as through
advertising and public relations. Lau and Lee (1999) further argued that if a brand
DMIJ meets a consumer’s minimum expectations a good reputation then reinforces the
3,4 consumer’s trust in that brand; if a brand does not have a good reputation the
consumer will become more suspicious of the brand and more critical to any flaws they
may find in the brand.
Another brand characteristic known to significantly correlate with brand trust is
brand predictability. Brand predictability is the degree to which a consumer can
284 accurately anticipate a consistent level of product quality or service (Vanhonacker,
2007). Predictability is determined through repeated experiences with a brand or
product and it enhances a consumer’s trust in the brand because predictability leads to
consistently positive expectations (Lau and Lee, 1999; Vanhonacker, 2007).
In Lau and Lee’s (1999) study brand reputation and brand predictability were both
found to be highly significantly correlated with overall trust in a brand. While Lau and
Lee (1999) considered both brand characteristics to be antecedents to brand trust, we
believe that the two variables are actually an integral part of brand trust in that they
both reflect consumers’ perceptions of a brand’s reliability. Brand reputation appears
to be based on others’ opinions while brand predictability seems to be based on one’s
own experiences. Therefore, we treated brand reputation and brand predictability as
major factors comprising overall brand trust rather than as antecedents to brand trust.
Numerous studies have indicated direct and indirect impacts of brand trust on
attitudinal and behavioral intentions such as future purchases, brand loyalty, and
brand extension acceptance (Berry, 1995; Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001;
Delgado-Ballester, 2004; Delgado-Ballester et al., 2003; Lau and Lee, 1999; Wang,
2002). For example, using a legal advice web site, McKnight et al. (2002) examined
whether trust in the business encourages consumers to take specific actions on the web
site. They found that trust in the business was positively related to intention to follow
legal advice from the site, intention to share personal information with the site, and
intention to purchase from the site. This study, however, focused on the consumer’s
initial trust, that is, trust in an unfamiliar online business, with whom the consumer
had no prior experience. McKnight et al. (2002) also observed that initial trust in that
particular unfamiliar business was created by the consumers’ perceptions of that
company’s reputation and the quality of its web site. Other researchers (McWilliam,
1993; Reast, 2005) have found that consumers are willing to try brand extensions when
the brands are highly trusted, at which times brand trust compensates for the lack of
knowledge about the new products. In the context of multi-channel retailing the
consumer’s trust in the retail brand may well influence his or her acceptance of
the retailer’s offerings at a new business channel such as the internet. In other
words, the trust consumers have built from their experiences with the retailer’s
brick-and-mortar store may directly translate into confidence in shopping for the brand
at the company’s online storefront (Hahn and Kim, 2009; Kwon and Lennon, 2009).
Using college students as subjects, Hahn and Kim (2009) found that consumers’ trust in
an offline apparel store significantly predicted both their confidence in shopping at the
company’s online store and their willingness to purchase from that site. Another recent
study by Kwon and Lennon (2009) observed that prior offline brand image exerted not
only direct effects on online brand loyalty intention but also indirect effects on
perceived risk associated with purchasing from the retailer’s web site. Based on these
findings, we predicted that a consumer’s offline trust (trust in a retail brand, built
based on previous experience with the retailer’s brick-and-mortar store) will be critical
not only in encouraging the consumer to shop at the retailer’s web site but also in Offline brand
influencing them to view its web site favorably. Accordingly, it is hypothesized that: trust
H1. Consumers’ offline brand trust will positively influence their perceptions of
the quality of the retailer’s web site.
H2. Consumers’ offline brand trust will positively influence their intentions to
shop from the retailer’s web site. 285
Trust is central to determining relationship quality, given that trust mitigates
some of the perceived risks associated with the relationship (Wang, 2002). In the
consumer-brand relationship, consumers’ perceptions of risks associated with
purchasing the brand will decrease as they perceive the brand more reputable,
reliable, and predictable. In the context of shopping at a retailer’s web site, offline
brand trust may even mitigate some of the negative perceptions a consumer may have
about the general idea of shopping online (Hahn and Kim, 2009; Kwon and Lennon,
2009) so as to lessen the impact negative attitude toward the internet has on perceived
quality of the retailer’s web site. In a similar manner prior offline brand trust may also
reduce the impact of a consumer’s negative perception of the retailer’s web site on his
or her intention to shop from the site, leading to our next two hypotheses, stated as
follows:
H3. Offline brand trust moderates the relationship between attitude toward the
internet and perceived web site quality.
H4. Offline brand trust moderates the relationship between perceived web site
quality and shopping intention.

Attitude toward the internet

Attitude toward the internet tends to improve as users become more experienced with
both computers and the internet (Corbitt et al., 2004; Durndell and Haag, 2002; Liaw,
2002). As technology advancement stimulates the increasing adoption and utilization
of computers and the internet, the number of internet users is growing and many
people are also spending more time on the internet (Hoffman et al., 2004; Shih, 2004).
Computer hardware and software prices have dropped as technology improves, and
competition among internet service providers has also pushed down the cost of internet
access. These factors have made internet access available to a wider range of economic
classes. Furthermore, higher network speeds allow for faster connections and relieve
the frustration of waiting for web pages to download. Forrester Research estimated
that more than 50 percent of US households that have access to the internet now use
broadband connections (Mulpuru et al., 2007). Additionally, cellular phone technology
now allows consumers to access to the internet even while away from their computers.
Studies on computer proficiency and internet usage in non-US countries (Liao and
Cheung, 2001; Loch et al., 2003; Park and Jun, 2003) reveal that computer proficiency has
increased not only in the USA but also in countries throughout the world. As a result of
the increasingly widespread availability of computer technology computer proficiency
is now emphasized at all levels of education in many countries (Liao and Cheung, 2001;
Liaw, 2002). It is now obvious that the internet has become a global phenomenon,
serving many functions and most especially that of creating a readily available
international marketplace (Hoffman et al., 2004; Howard et al., 2001; Shih, 2004).
DMIJ While general access to and proficiency in the usage of the internet have improved,
3,4 consumers’ attitudes differ greatly due to varying levels of individual skill, prior
experience, risk-tolerance levels, shopping orientations, and demographics (Durndell
and Haag, 2002; French and O’Cass, 2001; Jackson et al., 2001; Liaw, 2002). For
example, Durndell and Haag (2002) found that attitude toward the internet was
positively related to computer self-efficacy and negatively to computer anxiety. Liaw
286 (2002) observed that positive attitude toward the internet was associated with greater
levels of prior experience with the internet. Attitude toward the internet was also found
to be more positive among male students than female students (Durndell and Haag,
2002; Liaw, 2002).
Previous studies also support that attitude toward the internet influences one’s use
of the internet for a variety of reasons such as gathering information, communicating
with others, and online shopping (Goldsmith, 2000; Goldsmith and Goldsmith, 2002;
Helander and Khalid, 2000; Jackson et al., 2003; Klobas and Clyde, 2000). For example,
in a study of American college students, Goldsmith and Goldsmith observed that
online apparel buying was motivated by positive attitude toward the internet. In this
study, attitude toward the internet incorporated an element of entertainment in
addition to such dimensions as security, ease of use, and usefulness. However, most
studies of attitude toward the internet have focused on the utilitarian aspect of internet
(Davis et al., 1989; Liaw, 2002; Shih, 2004). Utilizing the technology acceptance model
(TAM) to establish the definition for attitude toward the internet, these studies suggest
that attitude, thus defined, is comprised of perceived ease of use and perceived
usefulness and that it determines an individual’s behavioral intention to use internet
technologies (Liaw, 2002; Shih, 2004; Venkatesh and Davis, 2000).
Although currently no empirical studies exist that investigate the impact of attitude
toward the internet on one’s perception of a particular retail web site, one study (Kim
et al., 2003) has supported the relationship between attitude toward online shopping
and a shopper’s perception of a retail web site. For both American and Korean
consumers, Kim et al. (2003) found that more positive perceptions of online shopping
lead to more favorable perceptions of the quality of a retail web site. While attitude
toward online shopping measures one’s attitude toward only one dimension of the
internet, it may well serve as a good indicator of the person’s attitude toward the
internet. Zeithaml et al. (1999) argue that a person’s propensity to embrace new
technologies for accomplishing goals may be significantly related to the person’s
perception of web site quality. Accordingly, we proposed that those who hold favorable
attitudes toward the internet will tend to view a retail web site more favorably:
H5. Consumers who have a more positive attitude toward the internet will have a
more positive perception of an apparel brand’s web site.

Web site quality

Recently, a wave of studies (Aladwani and Palvia, 2002; Lee and Kozar, 2006; Lin and Lu,
2000; Liu and Arnett, 2000; Kim and Stoel, 2004; Kim et al., 2003; Zhang and von Dran,
2000) has been published that focuses on determining quality dimensions of a web site.
Uniformly these studies support that web site quality is a multi-dimensional concept
although prominent dimensions constituting web site quality vary by the nature of the
site as well as by the product. Kim and Stoel (2004) argue that important dimensions of
web site quality for soft goods such as apparel may be different from those for hard
goods such as electronics, equipments and furniture. Because the ability to see, feel, and Offline brand
try on the actual product is important to the apparel shopper, apparel is considered a trust
high-touch product and accordingly the associated web sites face challenges that may
not exist for those selling standardized products such as books, airline tickets, and
computer software. In response to such obstacles, many apparel retailers such as Lands’
End, H&M, Adidas, Speedo, and L.L. Bean are now using web technology to simulate
in-store product experiences either by providing a 3D virtual model to showcase clothing 287
on a customized model or by allowing customers to view garments from various angles
and to zoom into see details more clearly (Kim et al., 2007).
Kim and Stoel (2004), using Loiacono’s WebQuale scale, examined the
dimensionality of web site quality specifically for apparel retailers and identified the
following six dimensions: web appearance, entertainment, informational fit-to-task,
transaction capability, response time, and trust. In this study, Kim and Stoel (2004)
asked respondents to rate the online apparel retailer they visited most frequently on
various aspects of web site quality. Web appearance, a factor that emerged as
most dominant, accounting for 42 percent of the variance, combined three of the
12 dimensions of web site quality originally proposed by Loiacono (2000) and
addressed both the visual quality of a web site as well as intuitive and easy navigation.
The entertainment dimension, a second web site-quality factor found in Kim and
Stoel’s (2004) study, addressed a web site’s capability to provide an emotionally
satisfying shopping and social experience as well as to be seen as innovative and
interesting. The informational fit-to-task factor pertained to the quality of the
information provided at the site, particularly in the context of supporting a customer’s
task. The transaction quality factor represented how well a web site supports its
business function. The response time factor related to how quickly the web site loaded.
The final factor, trust, measured a shopper’s confidence in the web site’s capability to
process secure transactions and protect customer privacy (Kim and Stoel, 2004).
Studies have shown that those who have a more favorable perception of a web site
are more likely to have a satisfying experience and ultimately more likely to shop at the
site (Chiu et al., 2005; Kim et al., 2003; Kim and Stoel, 2004; Lin and Lu, 2000; Loiacono,
2000; Yang et al., 2005; Zhang and von Dran, 2000). For example, Chiu et al. (2005),
using five dimensions of web site quality (connectivity, information quality,
interactivity, playfulness, and learning), examined how web site quality affected a
shopper’s behavioral intention to shop at and recommend the site. They observed that
the impacts of specific web site quality dimensions on behavioral intention varied by
products. For products/services with attributes that potential buyers can determine
prior to purchase (e.g. books, clothing, and gifts), Chiu et al. (2005) found all five
dimensions of web site quality to be significant in predicting a customer’s behavioral
intention. However, for goods or services with attributes that cannot be known until
purchase (e.g. travel and hotels), playfulness and learning were not related to
behavioral intention. In Kim and Stoel’s (2004) study of apparel retail web sites, only
three of the six dimensions of web site quality were significantly related to customer
satisfaction. The information quality factor had the strongest impact on customer
satisfaction, followed by response time and transaction factors. Therefore, the
following hypothesis was developed:
H6. Consumers’ perceived web site quality will be positively related to their online
shopping intention.
DMIJ Method
3,4 Measurement
Sixteen questions were used to measure three dimensions of brand trust characteristics:
brand reputation (six questions), brand predictability (six questions), and overall brand
trust (four questions). The scale was adapted from Lau and Lee’s (1999) study and
measured a consumer’s notion of how a brand is known to be (e.g. “This retailer has a
288 reputation for being good.”) and how reliable the brand is in terms of quality and
performance (e.g. “This retailer’s apparel performs consistently” and “When I buy apparel
from this retailer, I know exactly what to expect”) as well as her overall trust (e.g. “I feel
I can trust this retailer completely”). Modifications were made to the original scale by
replacing the term “brand” with “retailer.” (e.g. “I trust this brand” was changed to “I trust
this retailer.”) The changes were made to clarify that the questions were referring to a
retailer, not just to certain product brands carried by the retailer. Responses were
measured on a five-point Likert scale (1 ¼ strongly disagree, 5 ¼ strongly agree). Factor
analysis confirmed the existence of a single factor and therefore all the items were
combined to form a single measure of brand trust. The Cronbach’s a coefficient was 0.93.
Characteristics regarding attitude toward the internet were measured with a
combination of scales. Computer knowledge and level of comfort with technology were
measured using six items (e.g. “The internet makes me uncomfortable because I don’t
understand it” and “Life will be easier and faster with the internet”) from the internet
attitude scale developed by Durndell and Haag (2002). Although not included in the
internet attitude scale, security concerns have often been treated by many researchers
as constituting attitude toward the internet (Chen and Barnes, 2007; Goldsmith and
Goldsmith, 2002; Park and Jun, 2003; Teo, 2002). Therefore, we decided to include
security concerns in the measure of attitude toward the internet. This dimension was
measured using three questions (e.g. “Shopping over the internet would be very risky”
and “I would trust online retailers enough to feel safe shopping over the internet”)
adapted from Lee and Johnson’s (2002) study. The only changes made to the original
scale included replacing the term “www” with “the internet” throughout the scale and
replacing the word “vendors” to “retailers.” All the responses were based on a
five-point Likert scale (1 ¼ strongly disagree, 5 ¼ strongly agree).
Results from exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation indicated that
attitude toward the internet was composed of three factors (Table I). Varimax rotation
is the most popular orthogonal rotation method, a method which maximizes the
variance of squared loadings on a factor (Conway and Huffcutt, 2003). This technique
was chosen because it made interpretation of the results easier than other methods.
The first factor included three reverse-coded items that referred to the respondents’
level of comfort and feelings of intimidation while using the internet and was
accordingly named anxiety issues. This factor had a Cronbach’s a value of 0.93,
an eigenvalue of 4.27, and the total variance explained of 47.47 percent. The second
factor was composed of three questions relating to security concerns about shopping
online and therefore named security. This factor had a Cronbach’s a value of 0.83, an
eigenvalue of 1.51, and the total variance explained of 16.72 percent. The remaining
three items were combined to create the third factor. This factor reflected the
respondents’ perceived efficiency of the internet, and was thus named efficiency.
Factor 3 had a Cronbach’s a value of 0.77 and an eigenvalue of 1.22. This factor
explained 13.56 percent of the total variance.
 Offline brand
Factors Factor loadings
trust
Anxiety issues
I feel intimated by the interneta 0.93
The internet makes me uncomfortable because I do not understand ita 0.91
The internet complexity intimidates mea 0.84
Security 289
Shopping over the internet would be a safe way to shop 0.87
I would trust online retailers 0.84
Shopping over the internet would be very risky 0.81
Efficiency
Life will be easier and faster with the internet 0.86
The internet can eliminate a lot of tedious work 0.84 Table I.
The internet is a fast and efficient means of gathering information 0.63 Factor analysis results
for attitude toward the
Note: aReverse-coded items internet

Perceived web site quality was measured on a five-point Likert scale (1 ¼ strongly
disagree, 5 ¼ strongly agree) using a shorter version of the WebQuale scale
(Loiacono, 2000). Of the original 21-question scale, 16 questions were chosen based on
factor analysis results in Kim and Stoel’s (2004) study of web site quality of apparel
retailers. Only those items that in the Kim and Stoel study loaded high on one factor
and low on all others were used. Because previous studies (Loiacono, 2000; Kim and
Stoel, 2004; Kim et al., 2003) both used the WebQuale scale for different samples and
also revealed varying factor structures, we decided to conduct exploratory factor
analysis to examine which structure actually emerged from our data. As shown in
Table II, exploratory factor analysis indicated the existence of three distinct
dimensions. The first factor included eight items measuring usability and information
quality. This factor had an eigenvalue of 8.50, and explained 53.08 percent of the total
variance. The Cronbach’s a efficient was 0.94. The second factor included four items
and was labeled visual appeal and image. The factor had an eigenvalue of 1.84, and
explained 11.48 percent of the total variance. The Cronbach’s a coefficient was 0.88.
The third factor included four items measuring interactivity and innovativeness.
It showed an eigenvalue of 1.16, and a total variance explained of 7.26 percent.
The Cronbach’s a coefficient was 0.86.
Online shopping intention was measured using three items (“I would be willing to buy
apparel from this retailer’s web site,” “The likelihood that I would search for apparel on this
retailer’s web site is high,” and “I would be willing to recommend this retailer’s web site to
my friends”) adapted from scales used by Chiang and Dholakia (2003). Modifications were
made to the original scale by replacing the term “product” with “apparel.” This scale was
used as a uni-dimensional scale in previous studies and found reliable (Baker et al., 1992;
Chiang and Dholakia, 2003). Responses were measured on a five-point Likert scale
(1 ¼ strongly disagree, 5 ¼ strongly agree). The Cronbach’s a was 0.86.

Sample description
Female college students between the ages of 18 and 25 were chosen not only for
the convenience of sampling but also for the fact that young women constitute a major
market for online apparel shopping (Goldsmith and Goldsmith, 2002; Sullivan and
Heitmeyer, 2008). A preliminary study with 28 female college students was used to guide
DMIJ
Factor
3,4 Factors loadings

Usability and information quality

The web site labels are easy to understand 0.87
The display pages within the web site are easy to read 0.83
290 The information on the web site is effective 0.82
It would be easy for me to become skillful at using this web site 0.79
I find the web site easy to use 0.79
The web site adequately meets my needs 0.77
The text on the web site is easy to read 0.67
The information on the web site is pretty much what I would need to complete
my purchase 0.64
Visual appeal and image
The web site displays a visually pleasing design 0.81
The web site is visually appealing 0.81
The web site projects an image consistent with the retailer’s image 0.70
The web site fits with my image of the retailer 0.67
Interactivity and innovativeness
I can interact with the web site in order to get information customized to my specific needs 0.82
Table II. The web site allows me to interact with it to receive customized information 0.79
Factor analysis results The web site design is innovative 0.74
for web site quality The web site is innovative 0.73

the selection of three apparel retailers that were used in the final survey instrument.
The students were asked to name their favorite apparel brands and state whether they had
ever visited and/or purchased items from each retailer’s web site. Three retailers, Banana
Republic, Urban Outfitters, and Forever 21, were identified as some of the most popular
apparel retail brands among college students and as representing the widest range of
styles and prices that would appeal to the chosen population. A final survey instrument
was posted online accompanied by links to these three retailers’ web sites.
Participants in the survey were first asked to select one of the three pre-determined
apparel retailer brands that they have either had experience with or were familiar with.
They were then asked to keep their selected retailer in mind while completing the
questionnaire. After responding to questions regarding offline brand trust and attitude
toward the internet, respondents were asked to briefly visit the retailer’s web site,
search the web site for a shirt or blouse, select a color and size for the garment, and
review the information provided about the garment. Following this visit to the web site,
respondents were asked about their perceptions of different attributes of the web site
and finally instructed to indicate the degree of their willingness to shop from the site.
A total of 616 female students were contacted through classes in a variety of
disciplines (e.g. education, business, biology, housing, and interior design) and handed
out requests to visit the survey web site. One of the researchers visited 11 classes and
briefly explained the survey before distributing a small flyer including the survey web
site address to each of the students. Of those who received the flyers, 225 participated
in the survey resulting in a 36.53 percent response rate. Twenty-five surveys were then
discarded due to missing data. The average age of the respondents included in further
analyses was 21 and a vast majority (85 percent) was Caucasian. Nearly, half of the
respondents (46 percent) selected Forever 21 as the apparel retailer brand with which
they had the most experience. Of the remainder 37 percent selected Banana Republic Offline brand
and 17 percent selected Urban Outfitters. trust
Results
In order to test H1 on the relationship between offline brand trust and perceived web site
quality, and H5 on the relationship between attitude toward the internet and perceived
web site quality, a series of hierarchical regression analyses were performed using each 291
of the three web site-quality factors as the dependent variable. H3, hypothesizing the
moderating role of offline brand trust in the relationship between attitude toward
the internet and perceived web site quality, was tested using an interaction term (offline
brand trust £ attitude toward the internet). Because attitude toward the internet
consisted of three distinct factors separate analysis was performed on each of these
factors. Each regression analysis included two models with Model 1 testing for only the
main effects and Model 2 testing for the interaction effect. F-tests were used to assess
the significance level of the incremental variance accounted by the interaction effect.
The significant amount of the incremental variance indicated the presence of a
significant interaction effect, which suggested a moderating effect of brand trust in the
relationship between attitude toward internet and perceived web site quality.
Table III shows the results of three separate regression analyses performed with the
first factor of web site quality: usability and information quality. Main effects of offline
brand trust and three factors of attitude toward internet were found significant,
suggesting that brand trust and positive attitude toward internet positively influenced
perceptions of the usability and information quality of a web site. Significant
interaction effect was only found for the efficiency factor of attitude toward internet;
the significant incremental R 2 (F ¼ 8.65(1,196), p , 0.01) indicated that offline brand
trust significantly moderated the effect of efficiency on usability and information
quality. The negative coefficient of the interaction term (b ¼ 2 0.18) suggested that the
positive effect of efficiency on usability and information quality was stronger with a
lower level of brand trust.

Dependent R2 R 2 diff. b F-value

Model 1 0.23 29.20 * *

Trust 0.35 * *
Anxiety 0.28 * *
Model 2 0.23 0.00 0.03
Trust £ anxiety 20.01
Model 1 0.21 25.86 * *
Trust 0.37 * *
Security 0.24 * *
Model 2 0.21 0.00 1.01
Trust £ security 20.06
Model 1 0.27 35.65 * *
Trust 0.34 * *
Efficiency 0.34 * * Table III.
Model 2 0.30 0.03 8.65 * Regression analysis
Trust £ efficiency 20.18 * results for usability and
information quality
Notes: *p , 0.01; * *p , 0.001 (web site quality)
DMIJ Table IV summarizes the results of regression analyses testing the second factor of
3,4 web site quality (visual appeal and image) as a dependent variable. Brand trust was
again a significant predictor of visual appeal and image whereas two of three factors of
attitude toward internet significantly affected the web site quality factor. Security
issues did not exert any significant impact on the perception of visual appeal and
image, nor did the three interaction terms.
292 The third factor of web site quality (interactivity and innovativeness) was also
significantly influenced by brand trust (Table V). Of the three factors of attitude

Dependent R2 R 2 diff. b F-value

Model 1 0.20 24.68 * *

Trust 0.38 * *
Anxiety 0.19 *
Model 2 0.20 0.00 0.37
Trust £ anxiety 20.04
Model 1 0.18 21.02 * *
Trust 0.40 * *
Security 0.11
Model 2 0.18 0.00 0.05
Trust £ security 20.02
Model 1 0.24 31.00 * *
Trust 0.37 * *
Table IV. Efficiency 0.28 * *
Regression analysis Model 2 0.25 0.01 1.46
results for visual appeal Trust £ efficiency 20.08
and image (web site
quality) Notes: *p , 0.01; * *p , 0.001

Dependent R2 R 2 diff. b F-value

Model 1 0.16 18.54 * *

Trust 0.38 * *
Anxiety 0.06
Model 2 0.16 0.00 0.77
Trust £ anxiety 0.06
Model 1 0.16 18.23 * *
Trust 0.39 * *
Security 0.04
Model 2 0.16 0.00 0.61
Trust £ security 0.05
Model 1 0.19 23.76 * *
Trust 0.37 * *
Table V. Efficiency 0.20 *
Regression analysis Model 2 0.20 0.00 9.71
results for interactivity Trust £ efficiency 20.06
and innovativeness
(web site quality) Notes: *p , 0.01; * *p , 0.001
toward internet, only efficiency was positively related to the web site-quality factor Offline brand
(b ¼ 0.20). None of the interaction terms was significant. trust
Additional regression analyses were conducted to test the other three hypotheses: H2
tested the relationship between offline brand trust and online shopping intention, H6 tested
the relationship between web site quality and online shopping intention, and H4 tested the
moderating role of offline brand trust in the relationship between web site quality and
online shopping intention (Table VI). Because perceived web site quality consisted of three 293
distinct factors, three separate regression models were developed including each of the three
web site-quality factors. Offline brand trust and two of the three factors of web site quality
(usability and information quality and visual appeal and image) were significant predictors
of online shopping intention. Of the three interaction terms, the interaction between brand
trust and interactivity and innovativeness was significant supported by the significant
incremental R 2 results (F ¼ 6.52(1,195), p , 0.05). The positive coefficient of the
interaction terms indicated that the relationship between interactivity and innovativeness
and online shopping intention was stronger with a higher level of brand trust.

Discussion
While a great deal of research has been conducted to study brand trust, most has focused
on product brands not on retail brands. Furthermore, none of the studies on brand trust
has questioned nor investigated the moderating role of retail brand trust in the
relationship between consumer characteristics and their attitudes and behaviors toward
the company’s new business format. Additionally, while it might seem intuitively obvious
to expect the link between offline brand trust and perceived web site quality, no empirical
studies have established this relationship for apparel retailers. We sought to contribute to
the extant literature on brand trust and multi-channel retailing by exploring the role of
offline brand trust in shopping at a multi-channel retailer’s web site. Specifically, this
study examined the role of offline brand trust in the relationship between attitude toward
the internet and perceived web site quality and in the relationship between perceived web
site quality and online shopping intention.

Dependent R2 R 2 diff. b F-value

Model 1 0.30 41.01 * *

Trust 0.28 * *
Usability 0.37 * *
Model 2 0.30 0.00 0.84
Trust £ usability 0.06
Model 1 0.27 36.03 * *
Trust 0.29 * *
Visual appeal 0.33 * *
Model 2 0.27 0.01 2.71
Trust £ visual appeal 0.10
Model 1 0.19 22.40 * *
Trust 0.39 * *
Interactivity 0.09
Model 2 0.21 0.03 6.52 * Table VI.
Trust £ interactivity 0.17 * Regression analysis
results for online
Notes: *p , 0.05; * *p , 0.001 shopping intention
DMIJ In our study, consumers with a higher level of offline trust in a retail brand perceived
3,4 the retailer’s web site more favorably than others and they also more strongly intended
to purchase from the site. Previous studies have shown that when brands are highly
trusted consumers are willing to try new products introduced under the existing brand
names, in which brand trust compensates for the lack of knowledge about the new
products (McWilliam, 1993; Reast, 2005). The current study suggests that in the
294 context of trust in a retail brand, a high degree of brand trust may compensate for the
lack of knowledge about the retailer’s new business format, online business, and also
for the perceived risks involved with shopping over the internet. These findings
confirm the importance of brand trust in a retailer’s success across channels, as brand
trust in a retail brand appears to predispose consumers to a favorable perception of the
retailer’s web site and also leads to a strong likelihood of shopping at the site. This may
partly explain why many of the top-selling retail web sites are owned by multi-channel
retailers with established names and good reputations: highly trusted and recognized
retail brand names serve as an advantage when retailers introduce a new business
format, and give them an edge over pure online players and relatively small and new
entrepreneurs.
The findings from this study also supported significant effects of attitude toward
internet on perceived web site quality. Specifically, those who had less anxiety issues
toward internet were more likely to favorably perceive usability and information
quality and visual appeal of a retail web site. Those who indicated a stronger
confidence about secure transactions online were more likely to favorably perceive
usability and information quality of a web site. Finally, those who more strongly
perceived the internet as an efficient tool for gathering information and completing a
task were more likely to favorably perceive usability and information quality as well as
interactivity and innovativeness of a web site. It is noteworthy that the anxiety-issue
factor of attitude toward the internet influenced all three dimensions of perceived web
site quality. This finding suggests that when a degree of brand trust is assumed equal,
those who more strongly perceive the internet as complex and intimating evaluate a
retail web site less favorably in every aspect. The only dimension of attitude toward
the internet that predicted interactivity and innovativeness of a web site was efficiency.
Perhaps, those who believe in the benefit of the internet as a useful and efficient tool are
individuals who tend to embrace new technologies in life, and therefore they may be
more appreciative of a web site with interactive and innovative technology features.
Finally, it is not surprising that the only dimension of attitude toward the internet that
was not significantly related to the visual appeal and image factor of web site quality
was security. That is, a consumer’s concerns for security issues on the internet did not
influence her evaluation of the visual appearance and image of a retail web site.
In this study, a significant moderating effect of offline brand trust was found only
for the relationship between efficiency (attitude toward the internet) and usability and
information quality (web site quality): efficiency was more strongly related to usability
and information quality for a lower degree of brand trust. In other words, perceiving
the internet as an efficient tool predicted a positive perception of usability and
information quality of a web site more strongly when the respondent had a lower
degree of trust in the retailer. This finding suggested that offline brand trust perhaps
exerts a hallo effect and that when individuals have a strong trust in a retailer, their
consideration of the internet as an efficient tool does not make as strong an effect on
their perception of the usability of the retailer’s web site as it does for individuals Offline brand
lacking in brand trust. trust
As for the relationship between perceived web site quality and online shopping
intention, a shopper’s positive perception of usability and visual appeal of the web site
significantly predicted a stronger intention to purchase from the site. Interestingly,
offline brand trust played a moderating role in the relationship between interactivity and
online shopping intention. The impact of interactivity on online shopping intention 295
intensified for a consumer with a stronger trust in the retailer. In other words, the effect
of interactivity of a web site is salient in the existence of a strong trust in the retailer.
When consumers have a low level of trust in the retail brand, their perceiving the web site
as interactive and innovative may not necessarily translate into shopping at the site;
however, when they highly trust the retail brand, the more positive they perceive the
web site to be in terms of those aspects, the more likely they are to shop from the site.
In an increasingly challenging market environment, building brand equity has
become critical in order for retailers to improve their performance (Pappu and Quester,
2006). The results of this study lend firm support evidencing the importance of building
brand trust in order for multi-channel retailers to increase cross-channel customer traffic
and sales. In this study, trust in a retail brand not only directly influences a customer’s
perception of the retailer’s web site and online shopping intention but also does so
indirectly through its interaction with attitude toward the internet and perceived web
site quality. Overall, a higher level of trust in the retail brand reduces perceived risks and
doubts that one might have about using the internet and intensifies the positive impact
of certain aspects of perceived web site quality on online shopping intention.
Accordingly, retailers must incorporate brand trust, building this into their strategies
across channels and realizing that their performance and the reputation at their
brick-and-mortar stores may well have a significant impact on their online business. The
findings of this study also have implications for the effective allocation of a retailer’s
resources; the significant role of offline brand trust indicates that multi-channel retailers
may experience a higher return by improving their offline reputation and providing
consistent performance than by simply investing heavily in web site design and other
enhancements. A significant role of offline brand attitude in online shopping experience
was also affirmed in a recent study by Kwon and Lennon (2009). Using fictitious apparel
retail web sites, Kwon and Lennon (2009) found that offline brand image directly
affected online brand image and that online brand image mediated the effect of offline
brand image on perceived risk associated with the stimulus web site. In their study,
however, the moderating role of offline brand image was not examined. In order to better
understand the process by which offline and online shopping experiences influence each
other, additional research is needed that takes a more systematic approach to examining
that interaction. This research should investigate not only how prior offline brand trust
influences a consumer’s online shopping experience but also how the consumer’s online
shopping experience affects the person’s experience at the retailer’s brick-and-mortar
store. Future studies following this line of research should also examine the interplay
between offline and online shopping experience for retailers of different products in
order to establish generalized relationships amongst relevant variables.
Because this study was conducted with young college students, the results of this
study are of particular relevance to apparel retailers targeting Generation Y. According
to a recent study by Sullivan and Heitmeyer (2008), a majority of Generation Y apparel
DMIJ shoppers exhibit retail loyalty and therefore apparel retailers who create a cohesive
3,4 retail brand image through a variety of shopping experiences will be particularly
successful with this generation. Sullivan and Heitmeyer (2008) further argue that
because they are bombarded with promotional advertising, Generation Y consumers
tend to become disinterested in incidental promotional efforts making it even more
important for retailers to retain these consumers’ loyalty through strong brand trust.
296 Additionally a lack of differentiation of products found in the fashion retail market
further emphasizes the importance of the psychological value apparel retailers provide
to consumers (Brı̈dson and Evans, 2004). The ability to build strong brand trust and to
transfer offline brand trust to other business channels, accordingly, will be more
critical for apparel retailers in gaining a competitive advantage over their competitors.
The results of this study should be interpreted in view of the following limitations.
Owing to the use of the convenience sampling method the population of the study was
not representative of US female college students and therefore the results must be
interpreted with caution. Additional studies that use a larger random sampling are
warranted to establish the validity of the results. Generalizability of the findings may
also be enhanced by replicating this study with different product categories and
population groups including non-US consumers. Additionally, it should be noted that
the participants in the study were instructed to carry out imaginary purchases after
viewing the web site of a retailer with which they were familiar. This method was
deemed necessary in order to assure that each respondent had enough familiarity with
the retailer to be able to answer questions regarding offline brand trust, that they
would spend an adequate amount of time to properly evaluate the web site, and that
they would be able to answer questions regarding their shopping intention. However,
this method of giving an artificial shopping scenario, although used in several previous
studies (Kwon and Lennon, 2009; Kim et al., 2003), might not have provided the
respondents with a realistic shopping experience. The use of shopping intention as a
proxy for shopping behavior also needs to be noted. Although intention has been
supported as a reasonable predictor of actual behavior in many consumer studies
(Chen and Barnes, 2007; Chen and He, 2003; Hahn and Kim, 2009; Jarvenpaa et al., 2000;
Park and Jun, 2003; Teng et al., 2007), it should be acknowledged that shopping
intention does not automatically translate into action. Finally, in this study we chose
three multi-channel retailers representing three different price points, yet did not
consider the possibility of those different price points causing variability in the
findings. Future studies with a larger sample should allow researchers to examine
retailer-related differences and to determine whether the relationships among the
selected variables are influenced by retailers’ characteristics.

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About the authors

Soyoung Kim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and
Interiors at the University of Georgia. Her research interests are in online apparel shopping.
Soyoung Kim is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: [email protected]
Christie Jones is graduated from the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors at
the University of Georgia with a Master’s degree. Her research interests are in multi-channel
shopping.

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