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A longitudinal Study of Trust and Perceived Usefulness in Consumer Acceptance of an eService: the Case of Online Health Services

Despite the proliferation of e-services, they are still characterized by uncertainties. As result, consumer trust beliefs are considered an important determinant of e-service adoption. Past work has not however considered the potentially dynamic nature of these trust beliefs, and how early-stage trust might influence later-stage adoption and use. To address this gap, this study draws on the theory of reasoned action and expectation-confirmation theory to carry out a longitudinal study of trust in eservices. Specifically, we examine how trust interacts with other consumer beliefs, such as perceived usefulness, and how together these beliefs influence consumer intentions and actual behaviours toward e-services at both initial and later stages of use. The empirical context is online health information services. Data collection was carried out at two time periods, approximately 7 weeks apart using a student population. The results show that perceived usefulness and trust are important at both initial and later stages in consumer acceptance of online health services. Consumers’ actual usage experiences modify perceptions of usefulness and influence the confirmation of their initial expectations. These results have implications for our understanding of the dynamic nature of trust and perceived usefulness, and their roles in long term success of e-services.