Building and keeping credibility in the eyes of consumers is a complex task faced by online organizations. While research on the behavioral aspects of online consumer behavior focusing on trust, satisfaction, and loyalty, with the aim of creating a compelling online environment to satisfy consumer needs, is increasing, the majority of these research efforts do not focus on the needs of visually impaired people, and their perception, perceived risk, and trust in Web-based environments. In this project, the PI will seek to identify the antecedents of trust from the viewpoint of the visually impaired consumer (both online users and non-users). The study will specifically seek to: identify the salient factors important in developing visually impaired consumer trust in online businesses; identify the interpersonal trust factors and the corresponding levels of interpersonal trust critical to the adaptation or continued use of the Internet by visually impaired consumers; explore variations in trust antecedents based on the demographic characteristics (age, gender, and ethnic and cultural background) of visually impaired consumers; develop a trust typology model for visually impaired consumers; and develop educational programs to aid non-users and users with increasing trust online. An understanding of visually impaired consumer perspectives on trust will enhance knowledge of the underlying principles of trust in e-commerce and move the discipline closer towards developing a centralized control for trust. Detailed knowledge of the hopes and concerns of visually impaired consumers broken down by age groups, gender, and ethnic backgrounds is critical for policy makers in charting effective Internet transaction-related policies. The findings from this study should also be of importance for online organizations in the development of proactive strategies for visually impaired customer recruitment and retention in online transactions.
Broader Impacts: Trust and commitment variables are critical for maintaining a long-term relationship between (visually impaired) consumers and online businesses. The PI expects the results from this study will add new dimensions to Internet policy debates sensitive to developing general consumer trust, will assist business-to-consumer e-commerce Websites to become more visually-impaired compliant, will increase the awareness and knowledge of the wider society of issues facing visually impaired people, and may lead to the discovery of innovative solutions to specific trust-related problems affecting visually impaired consumers using the Internet.
