Examining the Effect of Information Quality and Quantity, Source Credibility on Cognitive Trust and Its Impact on Intention to Adopt Information

Abstract

Technological development allows consumers to easily share reviews about their opinions, experiences, and feedback on a product or service since the advent of online communication. Word of Mouth (WOM) has evolved into electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM). Information is obtainable from different sources, but despite easy access, some are not useful as high-quality information often coexists with misinformation. This study conceptualizes that individuals adopting the information are influenced by the relationship between information quality, source credibility, and the information quantity with the mediation of cognitive trust of e-commerce visitors. The sample included e-commerce visitors, and the data were collected through the online distribution of questionnaires and face-to-face meetings. A total of 500 samples were considered, and purposive sampling was used. The Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique, with the help of the SmartPLS 3 application, was employed to analyze the data. The results showed a correlation between information quality and quantity and the impact of source credibility on the cognitive trust of e-commerce visitors. Also, it revealed the influence of cognitive trust on the intention to adopt information.