Dealing with trust and uncertainty avoidance in online transactions: the case of consumers in Botswana

Abstract

This research sought to find out how consumers in Botswana deal with the issue of trust and the uncertainty avoidance (UA) strategies they engage in when shopping online. Trust and uncertainty avoidance are socially constructed, hence the need for an in-depth understanding of the strategies consumers engage in to assure themselves of the trustworthiness of the online vendors and to cope with the uncertainty related to online transactions in general. A qualitative approach involving in-depth interviews with selected consumers who have been involved in online shopping in Botswana was used in this study. Data collected through recorded oral interviews was transcribed, coded and analyzed following the interpretive methods. The results indicate that online consumers in Botswana consider and take seriously the issue of vendor trust in an online shopping space. The results further indicate that consumers in Botswana adopt a variety of strategies in order to assure themselves of the trustworthiness of the online vendor. Among these are the referrals from close associates who have used the same vendor to make online purchases. In this regard family members and friends are relied upon to provide the needed assurance. The quality of the vendors’ web site in terms of its comprehensiveness and frequency with which it is updated also featured prominently as an assurance that the online vendor is genuine. The study also indicate that online shoppers in Botswana face a variety of challenges including lack of tangibility of online exchanges, unavailability of shipping services, delivery delays, ineffective returns and refunds procedures, lack of regulatory framework, and language barriers. In spite of the challenges, the study finds that in general Batswana are satisfied with online shopping. The study recommends that online vendors should focus on provision of clear and consistent information including policy statements on the web store site and making it easily accessible to users is essential in trust building. Online vendors should ensure follow up and after-sale services to induce positive word of mouth through satisfied customers which can also be enhanced by the use of interactive services. Moreover tailor making websites for a specific target group of customers should be pursued to maximize trust building.