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Factors influencing consumer Consumer

attitudes
attitudes toward online shopping: toward online
shopping
the mediating effect of trust
Youssef Chetioui and Hind Lebdaoui
School of Business Administration, Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane,
Ifrane, Morocco, and Received 11 May 2020
Revised 27 August 2020
Hajar Chetioui 15 November 2020
Accepted 16 November 2020
FSJES, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco

Abstract
Purpose – The coronavirus pandemic has created a new wave of first-time online shoppers in both
industrialized and emerging countries. More interestingly, scholars and practitioners expect this transition to
online shopping to eventually persist in the next few years. The current research study aims to investigate the
factors explaining attitudes toward online shopping. The authors propose an integrated model in which trust
mediates the effects of relative advantage and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on attitudes toward online
shopping. The moderating effect of gender was also assessed using the multigroup analysis (MGA).
Design/methodology/approach – Based on data collected from 378 Moroccan online shoppers, the authors
empirically tested the hypothesized model using a partial least squares (PLS) estimation.
Findings – First, relative advantage, eWOM and trust significantly impact consumer attitudes toward online
shopping; at the same time, trust is influenced by relative advantage and eWOM. Second, results confirm that
trust mediates the effects of relative advantage and eWOM on attitudes toward online shopping. Third, the
MGA reveals that female consumers tend to exhibit a stronger effect of eWOM on trust and on attitudes toward
online shopping.
Originality/value – Most relevant studies have focused on the main predictors of attitudes toward online
shopping but did not suggest mediating and moderating factors that can help in explaining indirect effects. The
present paper bridges a gap pertaining to antecedents of attitudes toward online shopping by incorporating the
mediating effect of online trust. The authors also examine gender disparities related to the predictors of trust
and consumer attitudes toward online shopping. This study is the first of its kind to investigate the antecedents
of attitudes toward online shopping in an African country.
Keywords Relative advantage, eWOM, Trust, Online shopping, Attitudes, Gender
Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction
The wide spread of the Internet along with technological developments has established new
channels for businesses interested in promoting and selling their products and services
(Martins et al., 2018; Caputo et al., 2019). In that same context, businesses are investing
hundreds of millions of dollars in efforts to establish an electronic presence on the Internet
(Tankovic and Benazic, 2018). The expansion of online shopping has provided customers the
option to easily compare product characteristics and prices, making it the most flexible way
of purchasing. In Europe, for instance, e-commerce has reached an average annual growth
rate of 22% with total retail sales surpassing the V200 bn in 2014 (Marcus and Petropoulos,
2017). However, online shopping is still emerging in most developing countries. Statistics
indicate that only 15% of African households made an online purchase in 2018 (UNCTAD,
2018). Though online shopping is still in its infancy stage in Morocco, consumers can shop
online from a variety of local and international online shopping websites, namely Jumia,
FourniPro, Aliexpress, Amazon and others. EuroMed Journal of Business
This study examines consumer attitudes toward online shopping in the context of an © Emerald Publishing Limited
1450-2194
emerging market, i.e. Morocco. Indeed, online shoppers in Morocco can still be considered as DOI 10.1108/EMJB-05-2020-0046
EMJB early adopters. Investigating attitudes of early adopters is deemed highly important given
that attitude at this stage significantly impacts purchase decisions and adoption intentions
(Van Der Heijden et al., 2003; Hsu et al., 2014). Compared to traditional shopping, online
shopping has several relative advantages. Firstly, online shopping allows customers to
purchase products and services at any time and wherever they are located (Kim et al., 2008;
Liu et al., 2012). Next, online shopping enables customers to save time, money and effort when
purchasing. Finally, online buyers can collect and compare products’ information with a high
level of transparency and convenience (Al Debei et al., 2015a, b). Prior to making purchase
decisions, online customers are progressively using the Internet to find relevant information.
Such customers perceive online opinions (electronic word of mouth [eWOM]) as highly
credible and trustworthy (ACNielsen, 2008). In that context, a number of studies highlighted
the importance of eWOM in developing online trust (Awad and Ragowsky, 2008; Wang et al.,
2009). It is consequently assumed that relative advantage and eWOM positively impact
consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions (ACNielsen, 2008; H€aggman, 2009; Roach, 2009;
Lin, 2011). Online trust is as well considered highly important in online shopping
environments (Van Der Heijden et al., 2003).
Prior research in the online shopping field has revealed the roles of several variables that
explain attitudes toward online shopping, such as interface quality, security (Shergill and
Chen, 2005; Chang and Chen, 2009; Caputo and Walletzk y, 2017), shopping enjoyment and
involvement (Kim et al., 2007), service quality (Yang and Jun, 2008; Munthiu et al., 2014) and
better prices (ACNielsen, 2008; H€aggman, 2009; Roach, 2009; Lin, 2011; Sathiyaraj et al., 2015).
However, while reviewing the literature, three main gaps were identified. First, most studies
have focused on specific factors to explain attitudes toward online shopping in an isolated
way. These studies do not consider intercorrelated and combined elements that can influence
together attitudes toward online shopping. Our study combines relative advantage (quality,
security, better prices, etc.) and eWOM in one integrated model. Second, most research studies
have focused on the main predictors of attitudes toward online shopping but did not suggest
mediating and moderating factors that can help in explaining indirect effects. We postulate
that trust mediates the effects of relative advantage and eWOM on attitudes toward online
shopping. We also investigate the differences between male and female with regard to the
antecedents of trust and attitudes toward online shopping. Third, prior studies examined the
antecedents of attitudes toward online shopping in both industrialized and emerging
markets. Still, no research has addressed this subject matter in Morocco and Africa. Our
study is the first of its kind to investigate the predictors of attitudes toward online shopping
in an African country context. As well, the expected shift to online shopping in future years
also signifies the relevance of the current study. Based on the above discussion, the research
questions (RQs) that arose are as follows:
RQ1. Do relative advantage and eWOM influence trust in online shopping settings?
RQ2. Do relative advantage and eWOM and trust affect attitudes toward online
shopping?
RQ3. Does trust mediate the effects of relative advantage and eWOM on consumer
attitudes toward online shopping?
RQ4. Are there any disparities between male and female for the antecedents of trust and
attitudes toward online shopping?
The remainder of the paper is structured as follows. Section 2 contains the conceptual
background and research hypotheses. Then, Section 3 presents the methods used in the
research study, followed by Section 4 which covers analyses and results. A discussion of
results is reported in section 5, and conclusions and implications are presented in Section 6.
2. Conceptual background and research hypotheses Consumer
This study draws on prior literature to propose an integrated model that suggests relative attitudes
advantage, eWOM and trust as the main antecedents of attitudes toward online shopping
(Figure 1). Trust is defined as the belief of an individual in the trustworthiness of others which
toward online
can be determined by their perceived honesty, compassion and expertise (Lin, 2011; Faqih, shopping
2011). In our framework, trust is a mediator linking the antecedents to the main consequence.
Even though the antecedents of online shopping attitudes have been widely discussed in
prior research (Table 1), most studies concentrated on the main antecedents of online
shopping but did not suggest mediating and moderating factors that can help in explaining
indirect effects. The current paper extends these previous studies by demonstrating the
mediating role of trust for the antecedents of attitudes toward online shopping. We also
examine the differences between male and female for the antecedents of trust and attitudes
toward online shopping through the multigroup analysis (MGA).
As highlighted earlier, online shopping is still emergent in Morocco and thus measuring
attitude at this stage is considered valuable, given that attitude is a key predictor of intention
and behavior as revealed by the theory of planned behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991). Attitude can
be defined as the overall assessment of an object or a behavior (Peter and Olson, 2010). It
refers to the extent to which a person has a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of an object or

Moderaon effect: Gender

(Mul-Group Analysis)

Relave
advantage H2

H6
H1

Trust H5 Atudes towards

H3
online shopping
H7

H4
eWOM Control variables: Age, Income, educaon
Figure 1.
The conceptual model
Direct effect; mediation effect; moderation effect

Predictors Mediator Endogenous construct Source

Perceived benefits Online shopping Arora and Aggarwal

attitudes (2018)
Relative advantage, trust, perceived Online shopping Al Debei et al. (2015a, b)
website image attitudes
Perceived benefits, perceived web quality, Online shopping Al Debei et al. (2015a, b)
trust attitudes Table 1.
Perceived value Online shopping Lu et al. (2003) Antecedents of
attitudes attitudes toward online
Relative advantage, eWOM Trust Online shopping This research study shopping in prior
attitudes literature
EMJB a behavior (Murchison, 1935; Lebdaoui and Chetioui, 2020). As this study examines Moroccan
consumer attitudes toward online shopping, attitude toward behavior is the one relevant to
our context. Al-Debei et al. (2013) reveal that attitude toward a behavior can be referred to as
an individual’s positive or negative evaluation of a relevant behavior. Such beliefs differ from
one person to another based on their backgrounds and personal previous experiences (Al-
Lozi, 2011). In that same context, the TPB indicates that attitude is a main predictor of
behavioral intention (Ajzen, 1991).
Based on an extensive review of relevant literature, the study’s model postulates that
attitudes of consumers toward online shopping are mainly influenced by relative advantage,
eWOM and trust. This study also postulates that perceived trust is a direct function of
relative advantage and eWOM. It is also assumed that trust mediates the effects of relative
advantage and eWOM on attitudes toward online shopping. Finally, the moderating effect of
gender in the posited relationships is assessed using the MGA. In the following subsections,
we provide a thorough literature review regarding the identified predictors of attitudes
toward online shopping along with their antecedents. We also use relevant literature to
develop and support the hypotheses of this research.

2.1 Relative advantage

Relative advantage implies whether an innovation is providing more benefits than its
substitutes (Rogers, 2003). In the context of online shopping, Choudhury and Karahanna
(2008) reveal that consumers will adopt online shopping only if they perceive superior
relative advantage over traditional shopping. The relative advantage might be in the form
of lower costs, time and/or effort (Choudhury and Karahanna, 2008). Hsiao (2009) suggests
that customers will be willing to switch to online shopping only if they are satisfied with the
additional benefits (e.g. superior quality, more features, lower costs, etc.). A review of
literature suggested that the growth in online shopping has been motivated by
convenience, simplicity, price comparison feature, broader assortment of products and
services, time-saving, original services and personal motivation among other factors
(Ranganathan and Jha, 2007). Forsythe et al. (2006) suggest that the main advantages of
online shopping comprise shopping convenience, product selection, ease/comfort of
shopping and hedonic/enjoyment. In that context, Arora and Aggarwal (2018) suggest
three key advantages associated with online shopping, namely price, convenience and
recreational benefits.
Examining prior literature findings suggest that relative advantage positively impacts
consumers’ attitudes toward online shopping (Rogers, 2003; H€aggman, 2009; Roach, 2009;
Lin, 2011). Forsythe et al. (2006) convey that relative advantage is positively associated with
online shopping with varying significant effects on each stage of the purchasing process.
Along the same lines, Park and Kim (2003) reveal that relative advantage enables online
suppliers to establish long-term relationships with online shoppers which would increase
their trust and confidence regarding the website from which they shop. Akrouch and AL-
Debei (2015) confirm that the higher are the relative benefits that consumers get from a
website, the higher is the perceived trust. In that same context, O’Cass and Carlson (2012)
argued that consumers’ perceptions of trust are generally based on their website experience
or the experiences of others they trust. Following the preceding discussion, we believe it
would be significant to examine the effect of relative advantage on both trust and attitudes
toward online shopping in Morocco. Accordingly, it is hypothesized that
H1. Relative advantage has a significant positive influence on trust.
H2. Relative advantage has a significant positive influence on attitudes toward online
shopping.
2.2 Electronic word of mouth Consumer
Yadav et al. (2013) defined eWOM as “any positive or negative statement made by potential, attitudes
actual, or former customers about a product or company which is made available to multitude
of the people and institutes via the internet.” Indeed, eWOM significantly influences Internet
toward online
users’ attitudes and behavioral intentions (Jalilvand and Samiei, 2012). EWOM emerged as a shopping
result of the progressively increasing numbers of Internet and social media users who are
using Internet technologies to find relevant information. Such users perceive online opinions
to be credible and trustworthy (ACNielsen, 2008).
Prior research related to online shopping emphasized the importance of eWOM in building
online trust (Awad and Ragowsky, 2008; Wang et al., 2009). Accordingly, eWOM is
considered as having a significant influence on Internet users (Jalilvand and Samiei, 2012).
Park and Lee (2009) convey that consumers are more likely to believe in an endorsed eWOM
about a product if it is from a credible source. The current study regards trust as a knowledge-
based trust (Gefen and Straub, 2003), which is built through credible eWOM. Through
reading and frequent interactions with eWOM sources such as blogs and websites,
consumers become familiar with eWOM platforms and the content they provide and in turn
trust is formed. Additionally, this trust formation may depend heavily on past interactions
with eWOM platforms (Hsu et al., 2013). A customer may trust positive eWOM and then shop
on a website based on bloggers/websites’ recommendation for specific products or services.
For online shoppers, online opinions and recommendations are key to seeking new
information about products/services and service quality details (Chevalier and Mayzlin,
2006). Accordingly, eWOM is considered as having a great persuasiveness effect on online
shoppers’ attitudes and views (Jalilvand and Samiei, 2012). We believe that positive eWOM
can reduce the risk and uncertainty recognized by online shoppers and therefore enhance
their trust and attitudes toward online shopping. Given the above discussion, the following
hypotheses were proposed:
H3. More positive eWOM will result in a higher level of trust among online shoppers.
H4. More positive eWOM will positively influence attitudes toward online shopping.

2.3 Trust
Mayer et al. (1995) defined trust as “the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of
another party based on the expectations that the other will perform a particular action
important to the trustor.” In the context of online shopping, prior research has highlighted the
importance of trust as a key predictor of an individual’s attitude and intention to purchase
(Hassanein and Head, 2007; Lin, 2011; Hsu et al., 2013; Ashraf et al., 2014). Due to the lack of
direct contact and interaction, online shopping is assumed to present relatively higher risks
for consumers (Pavlou et al., 2007; O’Cass and Carlson, 2012). This implies that online
shoppers’ attitudes toward a product or service are predominantly influenced by perceived
trust (Van Der Heijden et al., 2003). In that context, Lin (2011) reveals that the increasing level
of uncertainty and dynamicity of the cyberspace made online trust a key determinant of
attitudes toward e-shopping. In Morocco, as in most Arab countries, where online shopping is
still emerging, trust is a key influential factor in the context of e-commerce and online
shopping (Abbad et al., 2011). As such, we hypothesize that
H5. Trust has a positive impact on attitudes toward online shopping.

2.4 The mediating effect of trust

As mentioned earlier, due to the lack of direct contact and interaction with the personnel
and physical store, online shopping is perceived to present high risks for consumers
EMJB (Li and Zhang, 2002; Pavlou et al., 2007; O’Cass and Carlson, 2012). In that context, many
researchers established the positive linkage between relative advantage and trust (Kim
et al., 2007; O’Cass and Carlson, 2012), as well as between trust and attitudes toward online
shopping (Akroush and Al-Debei, 2015). For an online supplier to stay competitive in the
market, it ought to deliver superior relative advantage. This, in turn, increases trust among
customers and leads to more favorable attitudes toward online shopping. We postulate that
trust mediates the effect of relative advantage on attitudes toward online shopping.
Therefore,
H6. Trust mediates the relationship between relative advantage and attitudes toward
online shopping.
Numerous studies emphasize that eWOM is positively related to trust (Awad and Ragowsky,
2008; Wang et al., 2009; Jalilvand and Samiei, 2012) and has a significant impact on attitudes
toward online shopping (Jalilvand and Samiei, 2012). Trust has also been conveyed as a key
determinant of attitudes toward online shopping (Lin, 2011). Still, no preceding established
studies have posited trust as a mediator in the linkage between eWOM and attitudes toward
online shopping. We believe that online opinions and recommendations create trust among
online shoppers, which convert into favorable attitudes toward online shopping. We therefore
postulate trust as a mediator in the relationship between eWOM and attitudes toward online
shopping. Accordingly, we hypothesize that
H7. Trust mediates the relationship between eWOM and attitudes toward online
shopping.

2.5 The moderating effect of gender

Though gender disparities have garnered increasing attention in recent years, examining
gender effect in consumer behavior literature is still limited and somewhat contrasted.
While several researchers pointed out the importance of gender in conditioning a
consumer’s overall web-based purchase decision (Wolin and Korgaonkar, 2003; Wu et al.,
2017; Lin et al., 2019), others found no significant influence of gender on consumer attitudes
and purchase intention (Lian and Yen, 2014; Beldad et al., 2016). Hwang and Lee (2018)
suggest that female customers tend to pay greater attention to a product’s information and
specifications. This implies that relative advantage effect on purchase decisions is more
significant for female than for male. Previous findings also demonstrate that female
consumers tend to exhibit a stronger effect of trust on the purchase intention than male
consumers do (Awad and Ragowsky, 2008; Hwang and Lee, 2018; Dai et al., 2019) but value
eWOM and other e-service dimensions such as the usability and financial security of a
shopping website (Wu et al., 2017). Regarding attitudes toward online shopping, relevant
literature reviews reveal that male customers tend to rate the overall online shopping
experience more favorably (Wolin and Korgaonkar, 2003; Hasan, 2010). The above findings
stress the key effect of gender when examining the antecedents of attitudes toward online
shopping. Therefore, to test and to add to the literature, we suggest gender as a moderator
in the relationships posited in the proposed conceptual model. The moderating effect of
gender is assessed through the MGA technique.

3. Methods
The research model of the current study uses relative advantage and eWOM as independent
variables, while the dependent variable is attitudes toward online shopping. The relationship
between the dependent and independent variables is hypothesized to be mediated by trust as
depicted in Figure 1.
3.1 The sample and procedures Consumer
Online shoppers can be classified into two categories: actual shoppers who have already attitudes
made online purchases and browsers who have only visited shopping websites without
making purchases (Lee and Johnson, 2002; Forsythe and Shi, 2003). The research population
toward online
is all Moroccan customers with access to the Internet and who previously made online shopping
purchases. According to the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency in Morocco
(ANRT, 2018), 12.8% of the Moroccan population made an online purchase in 2017, a figure
that has doubled since 2015.
A convenience sampling method via a web-based survey was used to collect data from
social media users (Facebook, WhatsApp and e-mails). Prior research reveals that using
convenience sampling to assess attitudes toward online shopping is appropriate and relevant
for multivariate data analyses (Cai and Jun, 2003; Hsiao, 2009; Ha et al., 2010; Sheng and Liu,
2010; Al-Debei et al., 2015). For selection purposes, a filtering question was included at the
beginning of the online questionnaire asking respondents if they have already purchased
online. Following Sheng and Liu (2010) and Hsiao et al. (2010), our questionnaire was mainly
directed to those with prior online purchase experience. Out of the 450 full questionnaires
received, 72 questionnaires were discarded for missing data or unfamiliarity with online
shopping; 378 responses were considered valid.
Of the total number of respondents, 69.04% are between 18 and 25 years of age, 21.43%
between 26 and 30 years of age and 7.67% are between 31 and 40 years of age, while 1.85% of
respondents are older than 41 years. With regard to gender, female respondents represent
66.93% and male respondents account for 33.07% of respondents. Regarding education, most
respondents had a university degree (58.20%), followed by those who had studied to complete
high school only (26.46%) and those who had followed professional education (10.58%).
Concerning total monthly income of respondents, 16.93% of respondents have income less
than 1,000 MAD, 24.87% belong to the MAD 1,001–2,500 income bracket, 17.20% to the
MAD 2,501–5,000 income bracket, 21.69% to the MAD 5,001–10,000 income bracket,
10.58% to the MAD 10,001–15,000 income bracket and 8.73% to the over 15,000 monthly
income bracket.

3.2 Measures
The questionnaires were presented in French, as the latter is widely used in Morocco
(Benzakour, 2007; Chetioui et al., 2017). A back-translation method was adopted to translate
the items from English to French (Brislin, 1986). Later, the questionnaires were pretested with
ten respondents to make sure the questions were clear and effective. To measure the variables
of our research, respondents were asked to assess each statement using a five-point Likert
scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), as indicated in Table A1.
(1) Independent variables:
 Relative advantage (borrowed from Forsythe et al., 2006): relative advantage was
hypothesized to positively impact consumers’ trust and attitudes toward online
shopping. This independent variable was measured using four items as shown in
Table A1.
 EWOM (borrowed from Ha, 2004): it is assumed that positive eWOM can reduce
the risk and uncertainty recognized by online shoppers and hence enhance their
trust and attitudes toward online shopping. To measure eWOM, three items were
self-developed.
(2) Dependent variable: as online shopping is still emerging in Morocco, we used attitudes
toward online shopping as a dependent variable. The measures used were developed
EMJB and validated by Van Der Heijden et al. (2003) and Al-Debei et al. (2015). It uses three
items that are consistent with items used in previous academic research.
(3) Mediating variable: to measure the mediating effect of perceived trust, we resorted to
the three items borrowed from Constantinides et al. (2010).
(4) The moderating effect (MGA): the moderating effect of gender was assessed using
the MGA.
(5) Control variables: the relationship between demographic factors and attitudes
toward online shopping is also highlighted in the current study. In our analysis, three
control variables were assessed: age, education and income. With regard to age,
existing literature suggests age as a significant variable in the explanation of online
shopping behaviors (McCloskey, 2006). While some authors found no significant
impact of age on attitude and purchase behavior (Al-Somali et al., 2009), others
suggest that age significantly influences the initial decision to purchase on the
Internet (McCloskey, 2006). Regarding the education level, Case et al. (2001) and Perea
y Monsuwe et al. (2004) suggest the education level as a powerful predictor of Internet
purchases. Finally, we consider that income has an effect on the user’s first contact
with online shopping as previous research has confirmed that customers with higher
incomes perceive less risk when adopting information technologies (ITs) (Hubona
and Kennick, 1996; Lu et al., 2003). In reference to the previously mentioned literature,
we opted for the use of age, education and income as control variables.

4. Analyses and results

4.1 The measurement model
Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of relative advantage, eWOM, trust and attitudes toward online
shopping are, respectively, 0.852, 0.860, 0.810 and 0.710 (Table 1). Cronbach’s alpha values are
well above the recommended 0.70 level, which indicates that the reliabilities of the used
constructs are acceptable (Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994).
To verify the properties of the instruments, the reliability and validity of the measurement
model were assessed using the average variance extracted (AVE) and the composite reliability
(CR) (Fornell and Larcker, 1981). As Table 2 shows, for all of the constructs, the AVEs are
above 0.5 and the CRs are greater than the cutoff value of 0.7 (Fornell and Larcker, 1981),

Cronbach’s Average variance Composite

Constructs Items Loading alpha extracted (AVE) reliability

Relative advantage RA1 0.849 0.852 0.693 0.900

RA2 0.781
RA3 0.821
RA4 0.878
eWOM eWOM1 0.918 0.860 0.782 0.915
eWOM2 0.829
eWOM3 0.903
Trust TRUST1 0.883 0.810 0.722 0.886
Table 2. TRUST2 0.882
Factor loading, TRUST3 0.781
composite reliabilities Attitudes toward ATT1 0.895 0.710 0.610 0.812
and average variance online shopping ATT2 0.742
extracted (n 5 378) ATT3 0.913
supporting the convergent validity of the measurement scales. As well, and as demonstrated Consumer
in Table 3, the square root of the AVE value of every single variable is greater than the attitudes
correlation coefficients between the variable itself and the other variables (Fornell and
Larcker, 1981), confirming the discriminant validity of the measurement scales. The
toward online
heterotrait-monotrait (HTMT) ratio table is available upon request and all values are below shopping
the threshold of 0.9 (Henseler et al., 2015). As construct reliability, convergent validity and
indicator reliability reveal acceptable results, we postulate that the constructs can be used to
test the conceptual model.

4.2 The structural model and hypotheses testing

This article used bootstrapping of 5,000 resamples to estimate the statistical significance of
path coefficients (Tenenhaus et al., 2005). The key measure to assess the structural model is
the coefficient of determination (R2) of the endogenous latent variables. As indicated by Chin
(1998), the R-square should be above 0.2 to be considered moderate. The results of the
hypotheses of our structural model are illustrated in Figure 2.

Attitudes
toward
online Relative
Age shopping Gender Education Income advantage Trust eWOM

Age 1.000
Attitudes 0.032 0.781
toward online
shopping
Gender 0.027 0.016 1.000
Education 0.223 0.031 0.213 1.00
Income 0.592 0.015 0.084 0.661 1.000
Relative 0.019 0.696 0.100 0.321 0.023 0.833 Table 3.
advantage Average variance
Trust 0.011 0.558 0.019 0.123 0.028 0.503 0.850 extracted and
eWOM 0.035 0.649 0.016 0.331 0.012 0.684 0.444 0.884 correlations

Moderaon effect: Gender

(Mul-Group Analysis)

Relave
advantage H2

H1

H6 0.090***

Trust H5 0.239*** Atudes towards

online shopping
H7 0.045**

H3

H4 0
eWOM Control variables: Age, Income, educaon
Figure 2.
The conceptual model
Direct effect; mediation effect; moderation effect
EMJB Firstly, the research study explains 27.2% of variation in trust in the proposed conceptual
model. Both hypotheses of relative advantage (β 5 0.375; p < 0.01) and eWOM (β 5 0.187;
p < 0.01) are statistically significant. Therefore, H1and H3 are supported to explain trust
(Table 3).
Second, attitudes toward online shopping are explained by 58.4% of the variation in the
conceptual model. The hypotheses of relative advantage (β 5 0.385; p < 0.01), eWOM
(β 5 0.281; p < 0.01) and trust (β 5 0.239; p < 0.01) are all statistically significant. Accordingly,
H2, H4 and H5 are supported to explain attitudes toward online shopping (Table 4).
With regard to the mediating effect of trust, our findings indicate a significant direct effect
of relative advantage on attitudes toward online shopping (β 5 0.475; p < 0.01) and a
significant indirect effect with the mediation of trust (β 5 0.09; p < 0.01), as illustrated in
Table 5. Zhao, Lynch and Chen (2010) explain that full mediation is found when the direct
effect is nonsignificant in the presence of the indirect effect and partial mediation is
accomplished when the direct effect is significant (Zhao et al., 2010). Our outcomes support
H6 and indicate that trust is a partial mediator in the relationship between relative advantage
and attitudes toward online shopping. Likewise, the results reveal a significant direct effect of
eWOM on attitudes toward online shopping (β 5 0.325; p < 0.01) and a significant indirect
effect with the mediation of trust (β 5 0.045; p < 0.05). This suggests a partial mediation of
trust in the link between eWOM and attitudes toward online shopping, confirming H7 as well.
Regarding the gender moderating effect, the sample was divided into two groups: female
(n 5 253) and male (n 5 125). The model was then estimated for the two groups separately to
verify the significance of the structural relations. The outcomes of the MGA were assessed
using the Henseler-MGA nonparametric technique. This technique assesses the differences
between the path coefficients among two groups and is used to evaluate group differences in
partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (Hair et al., 2017). As can be

Independent Std T- P-
Hypothesis variables → Dependent variable β error value value

H1 Relative advantage → Trust 0.375*** 0.055 6.793 0.000

H2 Relative advantage → Attitudes toward online 0.385*** 0.058 6.674 0.000
shopping
H3 eWOM → Trust 0.187** 0.066 2.848 0.005
H4 eWOM → Attitudes toward online 0.281*** 0.061 4.606 0.000
shopping
Table 4. H5 Trust → Attitudes toward online 0.239*** 0.059 4.058 0.000
Path coefficients of the shopping
research hypotheses Note(s): *, **, *** indicate significance at the 5, 1 and 0.1% levels

Std. T- P-
Hypothesis β error value value

H6 Relative advantage → trust → attitudes toward 0.090*** 0.023 3.852 0.000

online shopping
Relative advantage → attitudes toward online 0.475*** 0.056 8.424 0.000
shopping
Table 5. H7 eWOM → trust → attitudes toward online shopping 0.045** 0.022 1.998 0.046
Indirect and total eWOM → attitudes toward online shopping 0.325*** 0.059 5.501 0.000
effects Note(s): *, **, *** indicate significance at the 5, 1 and 0.1% levels
realized through Table 6, the p-values of the differences in path coefficients between female Consumer
and male for the structural relationships hypothesized in H1, H2 and H5 are all above 5%. We attitudes
therefore presume that there is no significant difference between female and male in the
abovementioned structural relationships, rejecting the moderating effect of gender. Still,
toward online
significant differences can be realized for the structural relationships theorized in H3 and H4 shopping
as the p-values of the difference in path coefficients between female and male are below 5%.
Accordingly, our results reveal a significant moderating effect of gender for the relationships
posited in H3 and H4.
Given that the sample structure is uneven according to the demographic variables, three
control variables are checked: age, education and average monthly respondent’s income (as
illustrated in Table 7). Our results reveal that none of the control variables has a statistically
significant influence on attitudes toward online shopping, so the evaluation of the
measurement and structural models continued without control variables.
Finally, in order to test predictive relevance, the cross-validated redundancy (CV-Red) was
calculated for the endogenous latent variables of our research model. Fornell and Cha (1994)
indicate that a CV-Red value (Q-square) that is greater than 0 implies that there is predictive
relevance. As demonstrated in Table 8, the Q-square values of trust and attitudes toward online
shopping are, respectively, 0.171 and 0.317. The two Q-square values are greater than the cutoff
value of 0, confirming the claim that the research model has adequate ability to predict.

5. Discussion
The main objective of this study is to investigate the factors affecting consumers’ attitudes
toward online shopping in Morocco. In fact, addressing online shopping in Morocco is
significant as the maturity and perception of online shopping between developed and
developing countries are considerably different. Online shopping in Morocco is still in its
early stages and research tackling online shopping in similar markets is extremely lacking. In
that same context, the recent global pandemic led a thrilling boost in online sales in both
developed and developing markets (e.g. Morocco). Accordingly, investigating the factors
affecting attitudes of Moroccan consumers toward online shopping is key to inform decision
makers and recommend effective business models and strategies for online shopping
websites. Indeed, understanding the dynamics of adopting online shopping will facilitate the
transition toward this mode of shopping. Further, assessing attitude as the main endogenous
variable is deemed appropriate as it is a main predictor of future intention as revealed by
the theory of reasoned action and the TPB (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980; Ajzen, 1991). As well,
the transition to online shopping is expected to continue in future years, which signifies the
relevance of the current study.
In conformity with the discussed literature, our empirical outcomes support the validity of
the hypothesized model in the current study. Our model emphasizes that consumer attitudes
toward online shopping is determined by relative advantage, eWOM and trust. The
hypothesized model also stresses trust as a direct function of relative advantage and eWOM.
Our findings assert that trust mediates the impacts of relative advantage and eWOM on
attitudes toward online shopping. Finally, eWOM effects on trust and on attitudes toward
online shopping have been found significantly different between male and female
respondents.
In line with relevant literature (Akroush and Al-Debei (2015); Park and Kim; 2003), our
findings suggest that relative advantage positively impacts trust. Indeed, relative advantage
allows online suppliers to establish long-lasting relationships with online shoppers, which
enhances their trust and attitudes toward online shopping. We also confirm the positive
impact of relative advantage on attitudes toward online shopping, as suggested in previous
empirical studies (Rogers, 2003; H€aggman, 2009; Roach, 2009; Lin, 2011). In order to improve
 EMJB

Table 6.
Multigroup analysis
(MGA) results (H1–H5)
Pooled data (n 5 378) Group 1 female (n 5 253) Group 2 male (n 5 125) Multigroup analysis (group 1 vs group 2)
Hypotheses β β β Difference β (G1 - G2) p (Diff)

H1 0.375*** 0.365*** 0.387*** 0.022 0.231

H2 0.385*** 0.394*** 0.375*** 0.019 0.321
H3 0.187** 0.263** 0.155** 0.108 0.009
H4 0.281*** 0.321*** 0.211*** 0.11 0.031
H5 0.239*** 0.259*** 0.288*** 0.029 0.532
Note(s): *, **, *** indicate significance at the 5, 1 and 0.1% levels
online shopping relative advantage, online suppliers need to pay more attention to the Consumer
website ability to provide suitable and efficient shopping for customers. They should also attitudes
offer quality goods and services, lower prices and other financial advantages, such as
discounts, coupons and other monetary motivators.
toward online
In the same direction, our findings suggest eWOM as a key predictor of trust. This shopping
confirms the findings of prior research related to online shopping (Awad and Ragowsky,
2008; Wang et al., 2009). Positive eWOM can reduce online shoppers’ perceived risk and
therefore enhance their trust vis-a-vis online shopping. The study’s results also confirm the
positive impact of eWOM on attitudes toward online shopping, as revealed in prior empirical
research (Cheung et al., 2008; Jalilvand and Samiei, 2012). Customers are increasingly going
online and are generally influenced by the many sites dedicated to the discussion of products
or services (eWOM). Moroccan companies ought to get involved in online consumer
communities and provide relevant and complete information about their products and
services. The use of social media influencers can also be a good alternate to enhance eWOM
related to online shopping (Chetioui et al., 2020).
As expected, trust was found to be a major predictor of consumer attitudes toward online
shopping, which is consistent. This is consistent with prior literature suggesting that higher
trust leads to more favorable attitudes of consumers toward online shopping (Hassanein and
Head, 2007; Lin, 2011). Trust has also been confirmed as a mediator in the relationship
between relative advantage and attitudes and between eWOM and attitudes toward online
shopping. This implies that Moroccan online suppliers need to pay further attention to trust
so as to succeed in the online shopping industry.
While no significant difference was found between male and female for the effects of
relative advantage and trust on attitudes toward online shopping, our results reveal
significant differences for the effects of eWOM on trust and attitudes toward online shopping.
First, the effect of eWOM on attitude toward online shopping was significantly stronger for
female. Our results also indicate that positive eWOM is more likely to convert to favorable
attitudes toward online shopping for female customers. This is consistent with prior
literature (Wu et al., 2017), suggesting that female customers are more likely to base their
purchase decisions on online opinions and recommendations.

Control variables β Std. error T-value P-value

Education → attitudes toward online shopping 0.031 0.023 0.513 0.590

Age → attitudes toward online shopping 0.019 0.041 0.458 0.647
Income → attitudes toward online shopping 0.021 0.038 0.561 0.575 Table 7.
Note(s): *, **, *** indicate significance at the 5, 1 and 0.1% levels Control variables

SSO SSE Q2

Trust 1,134.000 363.980 0.171

Attitudes toward online shopping 1,134.000 774.794 0.317
Relative advantage 1,512.000 1,512.000
Table 8.
eWOM 1,134.000 1,134.000 Q-square or cross-
Gender 378.000 378.000 validated redundancy
Age 378.000 378.000 (CV-Red) of the
Income 378.000 378.000 endogenous latent
Note(s): Q2 5 (1 SSE/SSO) variables
EMJB 6. Implications and conclusions
The recent lockdown has created a new wave of first-time online shoppers in both
industrialized and emerging countries. More interestingly, this shift to online shopping is
expected to continue even after the lockdown is lifted. While countless companies could not
survive as a result of the recent global pandemic, online suppliers’ revenues dramatically
expanded. In that context, locked-down shoppers helped Amazon boost revenues by 40% in
the second quarter of 2020 (Financial Times, 2020). The above discussion signifies the
relevance of this study as it seeks to investigate the key antecedents of attitudes toward
online shopping. This study presents a key contribution to the field of consumer behavior,
both in academia and practice, with a focus on online shopping attitudes and behavior.

6.1 Theoretical implications

The present research study’s findings suggested three main theoretical contributions. First,
most relevant studies have concentrated on the main factors leading to attitudes toward
online shopping but did not suggest mediating and moderating factors that can help in
justifying the indirect effects. The current study extends previous findings by suggesting
trust as a mediating mechanism that links relative advantage and eWOM to attitudes toward
online shopping. We also investigate the differences between male and female with regard to
the antecedents of trust and attitudes toward online shopping.
Second, prior studies have addressed the predictors of attitudes toward online shopping in
both industrialized and emerging markets. Still, research addressing this subject matter in
Morocco and Africa is very limited. Our study is the first of its kind to investigate the
predictors of attitudes toward online shopping in an African country context. Lastly, the
present research study provides a response to scholars who have called for more
investigations on drivers of consumers’ attitudes toward online shopping, mainly in
emerging markets (Aladwani, 2006; Al-Maghrabi et al., 2011).

6.2 Practical implications

From a practical view, our study represents one of the early attempts to investigate attitudes
toward online shopping in Morocco. Online retailers can use the outcomes of the current
research study to create well-designed online shopping platforms and design useful e-
marketing strategies. For instance, relative advantage and eWOM have been demonstrated
to significantly influence trust and attitudes toward online shopping. We also confirmed trust
as a key to achieving favorable attitudes toward online shopping. In order to improve trust
within Moroccan customers, online shopping websites should focus more on privacy and
security aspects as to reduce online consumers’ perceived risks. Indeed, privacy and security
have been widely acknowledged as main obstacles to online shopping adoption (Al-Debei
et al., 2015). Lack of security in an online shopping setting leads to lower levels of trust and
discouraging attitudes toward online shopping. Online shopping websites have to manage
online transactions in highly secured environments with strong endorsement, authorization
and accountability features. Shopping websites can also add a “Contact” page with phone
numbers, e-mail and mailing addresses. A number of online businesses offer only generic
e-mail addresses, which can be perceived as sketchy. Incorporating staff e-mail addresses,
social media profiles or LinkedIn profile uniform resource locators (URLs) can help
establishing extra credibility. It can also simplify the networking process and contribute in
acquiring new customer and business relationships. Finally, a blog that is updated very often
is an indication of how a potential buyer will be treated by the online shopping supplier.
Nevertheless, to increase the levels of trust, the blog content should be influential,
trustworthy and inscribed by experts in the field.
6.3 Limitations and future research Consumer
Though this study is one the very few that have investigated attitudes toward online attitudes
shopping in emerging market contexts, it still has limitations that need to be addressed in
future research. Firstly, while we have tested a pertinent model with indirect effects, we have
toward online
included only three variables as predictors to attitudes toward online shopping, namely shopping
relative advantage, eWOM and trust. Other variables can potentially affect attitudes toward
online shopping such as perceived web and e-service qualities, type of products/services and
customer e-satisfaction (Amendola et al., 2018). Second, our study focused on subjects with
previous online shopping experience. The perceptions about online shopping of such subjects
may significantly differ from others (i.e. nonusers). Future studies are encouraged to focus on
nonadopters in order to explore differences in terms of findings. Third, the sample selection
might limit the ability to generalize the findings to all Moroccan online shoppers.
A convenience sample of respondents was used to represent Moroccan online shoppers.
These consumers’ responses may differ from those with different socioeconomic profiles.
Further studies should use a larger random sample from a more diverse population to make
the results more reliable.

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Appendix

Items of relative advantage Forsythe et al. (2006)

(1) By shopping online, I can shop in privacy of home
(2) Not like traditional shopping, I can buy online whenever I want
(3) Online shopping enables me to find prices I cannot find in traditional shopping
(4) Buying online enables me to save the effort of buying what I want from offline/traditional stores
Items of eWOM Ha (2004)
(1) I often read online recommendations to buy products online
(2) My e-community frequently posts online recommendations to buy online
(3) Consumers’ online recommendations and reviews make me more confident in purchasing a product online
Items of trust Constantinides et al. (2010)
(1) It is safe to pay money and perform a financial transaction in online shopping websites
(2) Online retailers will protect my financial-related information from being leaked (hacked)
(3) Online retailers will not sell my personal information (e-mail, phone number, names, etc.) to others for
commercial use
Items of attitudes toward online shopping Van Der Heijden et al. (2003)
(1) The idea of buying online is a good idea
(2) Buying online is better than buying from a real store/shop
(3) Buying online is a pleasant thing to do

Corresponding author
Youssef Chetioui can be contacted at: y.chetioui@aui.ma

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