The Role of Merchandiser Feedback Comments and Performance Profiles in Building Trust in Group Buying Sites

Despite the sizable growth of the group buying market, consumer complaints have recently raised skepticism about the future of these sites. Thus, building a trustworthy transaction environment has become a critical issue. In exploring a trust-building mechanism, we pay particular attention to the role of merchandisers who specialize in finding products or services and marketing them to potential buyers on group buying sites. The purpose of this study is to examine whether providing merchandiser feedback comments and performance profiles on group buying sites leads consumers to evaluate the community of merchandisers more favorably and makes them more likely to purchase products or services. Research hypotheses were tested with data obtained from 124 subjects who participated in a laboratory experiment. The results empirically demonstrate that merchandiser feedback comments and performance profiles enhance buyers’ trust in the community of merchandisers participating in a group buying site. This enhanced trust, in turn, increased buyers’ intention to purchase products or services through the group buying site.