Exploring purchase intention in cross-border e-commerce: a relational view

Purpose Consumer purchase intention in cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) has received momentum in international marketing. However, little is known about purchase intention toward smaller retailers with country-specific websites, known as partial online internationalization (POI) retailers. While consumer CBEC purchasing involves uncertainty, it is particularly challenging toward POI-retailers due to their unfamiliarity, hampering consumer purchasing and relationship building. Past research overlooks how purchase intentions can be increased in the presence of uncertainty, thereby creating prerequisites for relationship building. Drawing on relational exchange theory and consumer attitude literature, this study aims to explore purchase intention toward POI-retailers in CBEC from a relational view. Design/methodology/approach Based on a survey with 364 respondents exposed to a real-life POI-retailer, the proposed model demonstrates greater predictive power for purchase intention compared to previous CBEC studies. Findings The findings reveal that uncertainty negatively affects consumer trust but does not impact their attitude. Unexpectedly, purchase intention toward POI-retailers is primarily driven by consumer attitude and commitment, with trust having an insignificant effect on both commitment and purchase intention. Results also show the importance of nurturing favorable attitudes, as they serve as a key mediator of trust's effect on commitment and purchase intention. Originality/value Building on relational exchange theory and extending its scope with attitude literature, we introduce its concepts into a unified model for developing a relational framework that has, thus far, been overlooked in scholarly research. The proposed relational framework offers novel insights into consumers' development of purchase intentions, highlighting the prerequisites for building relationships in the presence of uncertainty.