Impact of Cybercrime and Trust on the Use of E-Commerce Technologies: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Cybercrime issues across many economies are increasing at a faster rate. The rapid diffusion and penetration of the internet, as well as the processes of digitization of economic activities, have been the major catalysts. These cybercrime activities continue to pose a serious threat to e-commerce technologies and influence consumers' intention to conduct transactions using such a medium. Considering the upsurge of cyber-crime activities and the paucity of research in this domain, particularly in developing countries, this paper investigated how cyber-crime and trust affect users' intention to conduct business via e-commerce technologies. Using a survey approach, an online questionnaire was distributed and data from 476 participants was rigorously analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling. The results indicate that trust in internet media, attitude towards behavior, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and cyber-crime perceptions are significant predictors of intention to purchase using e-commerce technologies. The findings elucidate businesses and stakeholders on the impacts of trust and cybercrime perceptions on users' purchase intentions. It further brings to the fore the need to incorporate security features that reduce the vulnerability of e-commerce platforms.