Author ORCID Identifier
Alireza Amrollahi: 0000-0002-3130-8185
Marzieh Soleimani: 0000-0003-1299-4391
Arghavan Hadinejad: 0000-0002-3036-8899
Syed Muhammad Fazal-e-Hasan: 0000-0003-3646-0407
Abstract
This study focuses on the paradoxical relationship between attitude and trust in online retail by adopting a metacognitive (self-validation) perspective and employing a three-study, multi-method design across two cultural contexts. Study 1, using an experimental design, shows that attitudes toward online retailers exert a stronger causal influence on trust than the reverse, thereby challenging dominant trust-first assumptions in the literature. Building on this finding, Study 2 shows that metacognitive factors (particularly thought confidence and the valence of thinking) play a central role in shaping trust and behavioural intention, and that the strength of these relationships varies across individualistic (Australia) and collectivist (Iran) contexts. Study 3 further reveals the asymmetric and nonlinear nature of trust formation in online retail and explores the multiple configurational pathways that can lead to both high and low intention to transact. Collectively, the findings advance research on trust and attitude by integrating metacognitive theory into online retail contexts and provide actionable insights into how platforms can design digital cues and interventions to foster trust across diverse markets.
Recommended Citation
Amrollahi, A., Soleimani, M., Hadinejad, A., & Fazal-e-Hasan, S. (In press). Attitude and Trust Paradox in Online Retail: A Metacognitive Perspective Employing a Multi-Method Approach. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 59, pp-pp. Retrieved from https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol59/iss1/64
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