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Perceptions About the Web
Many online users have general perceptions about the Web that can determine their behaviortoward all online companies. A critical perception involves the risk involved in buying online.
Perceived risk, an essential element in the literature on trust (Mayer et al., 1995; Doney &
Cannon, 1997; Pavlou, 2003), has two dimensions: behavioral and environmental. Behavioral risks are
related to the actions of specific online companies. Environmental risks are related to the
infrastructure of the Web itself. Perceived environmental risk can have a sweeping effect on Web
user intention to buy online. Empirical studies have shown that trust in the security of the Web in
general can increase trust in a specific company (McKnight et al., 2002b). The magnitude of that
effect, however, can be smaller compared to the impact of company-specific perceptions, such as its
reputation and size.
Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions among the general Web user population about the
security of the Web and the Internet in general. For example, many online users are still concerned
that their information can be intercepted and stolen while in transit from their computer to the
company servers. There is little general education about the strength of the Secure Sockets Layer
(SSL) protocol used widely on the Web and many Web sites do not adequately assure their customers
that they use SSL sessions to secure their transactions. There is also a general fear about
providing personal and financial information to a company which exists only in a virtual
environment and with which the customer has had no physical experience at all. Customers seem more
inclined to trust giving their credit card numbers to a gas attendant or a waiter because they are
physically present, even though the security of their transaction in that case is not greater (and
may actually be lower) than when they provide it to a Web site that uses an SSL secure
session.
