The effect of marketing activities, benefits, risks, confusion due to over-choice, price, quality and consumer trust on online tourism purchasing

The paper focuses on website vendors and on three fundamental aspects which influence price quality and trust, the major factors that affect purchasing intentions amongst online consumers. The three fundamental aspects in question are: perceived benefits, risks, and confusion due to over-choice. The purpose of the study is to examine the influence of these three aspects on consumers’ trust and their online purchasing intentions, and also to evaluate their interrelationship with marketing activities. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the research focuses on holidaymakers (N=735) who bought at least one component of their vacation using the Internet. The research implements Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and uses Structural Equation Modelling. The findings indicate the importance of direct marketing and of the brand names of e-retailers and products. They also pinpoint the significance of online buying convenience and of the provision of sufficient product information. Moreover they reveal the influence of safety and security issues, of the instilment of trust, and of price and quality in relation to purchasing intentions. The research contributes to a better understanding of online tourism decision making, it identifies website vendor characteristics which are important to online consumers, and presents a number of managerial implications