Does Gender Moderate the Effect of Online Concerns on Purchase Likelihood?

This study builds on current research related to online consumer behavior and investigates how four consumer online concerns (privacy, security, credibility, and virtual experience) relate to people's likelihood of making online purchases. Survey data were used to simultaneously estimate the five hypothesized relationships by utilizing structural equation modeling techniques. Findings indicate that while concerns with security and virtual experience negatively influence purchase likelihood for all consumers, concerns about privacy and online information credibility affect purchase likelihood only for female consumers. This study extends current online marketing theory by empirically establishing the link between key consumer concerns and likelihood of making online purchases as well as establishing the role of gender as a moderator in this context. Several implications related to the online marketing of products and services are also outlined in this research.