Exploring the Mediating Role of Trust Between Consumers’ Behavioral Intensity and Mobile Commerce Preference

Mobile commerce (M-commerce) is escalating at exponential rates worldwide. Companies can engage in 360° marketing, integrating communication messages within a networked context via social media and interactive virtual stores, on a 24/7/365 basis. This networked, interactive communication becomes a valuable asset, providing added value and new opportunities for consumers. Thus, m-commerce market escalates rapidly at exponential rates. The preference of smartphones over alternative means (i.e., desktops) seem to be due to the former’ idiosyncratic characteristics, such as ease of use and app integration that provide competitive advantage. On the other hand, security concerns and lack of trust, seem make customers more skeptical about it use. Moreover, certain motivating and deterrent factors seem to play the role of moderators between e-commerce and smartphone use, as they seem to differ among countries, as their m-markets’ growth rates are increasing unevenly across the globe. In this study, we select trust in order to study its moderating capabilities between behavioral intensity and smartphone preference. Thus, although that in the pertinent literature, trust is regarded to have mediating effects between e-commerce and smartphone use, it has not been yet examined in the Greek e-commerce context on behavioral intensity. We focus on trust, which, according to marketing literature, can significantly enhance the preference of commerce through smartphones over alternative means, when effectively integrated into marketing strategies. To this end, we conducted an extensive literature review, specifically examining the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model related to the adoption of new Information Technology (IT) systems. This preliminary research led to the development of a quantitative research instrument, which was distributed online and served as the primary data collection platform. The study utilized a convenience sample of 907 Greek consumers who are active on social media and the Internet, resulting in 23.4 response rate. The findings suggest that trust may moderate the impact of behavioral intensity upon preference of smartphones use compared to desktops. The paper also discusses the implications for academics and practitioners.