Cross-cultural examination of apparel online purchase intention: S-O-R paradigm

The purpose of this study was to conduct a cross-cultural comparison of the impact of e-service quality on consumers' trust-behavioral intentions in online apparel shopping using a proposed theoretical S-O-R model. A total of 1,154 U.S. college students' (n = 616) and Korean college students' (n = 538) usable responses were employed to conduct statistical analyses. Regardless of the cultural differences, the results revealed that website design quality and responsiveness (stimulus) in e-service quality are strongly associated with trust (organism) and trust, in turn, acts as a dominant predictor influencing purchase intention (response) in the hypothesized model. Results from this study demonstrate that trust is a key mediator in interconnecting the relationship between website design and responsiveness and online purchase intention in the two countries in the S-O-R paradigm. The current study formulates and empirically tests the theoretical model for global e-commerce strategic thinking and undergirds a deep understanding of the determinant role of trust impacting purchase intentions of young consumers engaging in online apparel shopping in the U.S. and South Korea.