From Anxiety to Trust: Customers’ Psychology in Online Shopping

Introduction

Recently, the number of people who purchase goods through the internet has been gradually increasing, making companies recognize that satisfaction and these users are seen as an essential challenge. According to a survey conducted by PwC (as cited [1] ), the percentage of how many people purchase goods on the internet once a week was 24 percent in 2019, and increased significantly 41 percent by December 2021. Therefore, the online shopping market still continues to expand and they attract many customers with high convenience and diverse selection of products. 

On the other hand, the risk of illegally using secret information such as personal information or credit card information is also increasing, making information security a major issue among customers. Although many people feel anxiety about online shopping troubles such as cyber attacks, fraud, and impersonation, there are rare people who stop online shopping completely in modern society. 

Therefore, this paper studies problems from an online shopping perspective from the background of customers’ continuing purchase behaviour even though their information security anxiety.

Information Security Anxiety in Online Shopping

The use of credit cards and electronic money for payment have been common because of the spread adaptation of shopping online. While these services significantly promote convenience and make people’s lives richer, they are worried about risks of  spreading their privacy and financial information. When they purchase goods on the internet, many people feel conflicted between convenience and safety, especially with the handling of credit card information.

For example, Mikami and his team research the security concerns of internet users from six perspectives as a part of the World Internet Project. According to their study [2], six concerns are categorized as:

1, others knowing browsing history or email contents

2, personal information such as name, address, workplaces, credit card information, and passwords

3, computer virus infection

4, unauthorized access

5, illegal charges on the internet

6, exposure to harmful information

Among these concerns, “personal information” causes the highest percentage of anxiety with 71 percent of respondents saying they are very anxious about it. 

In addition, this research shows differences based on gender and age. Women especially tend to show stronger anxiety about personal information than men, reporting 30s and 40s. These results show that even many people have a psychological resistance about online shoppings, they continue to use them as they tend to rely on convenience and instant satisfaction.

Trust and Experience in Reducing Anxiety

As users continue to engage in online shopping, they tend to build a sense of trust about specific platforms. Jarvenpaa (1998) and Zhou (2007) point out that trust is a strong factor of a desire to purchase goods with credit card and electronic money for payment [3]. In addition, McKnight (2002) points out that trust represents the key long-term challenge in realizing the full potential of e-commerce for consumers in online settings [3]. For example, research by Kim (2008) indicates that a lack of trust in products or companies significantly reduces purchase motivation [3]. 

On the other hand, major platforms such as Amazon and Rakuten have built strong relationships with customers with trust thanks to their brand and their high performance. This trust is supported by not only security strategy but also users’ sense of security. These big companies make safe online shopping environments, providing quick customer support, guarantees, and review systems. Therefore, users learn through experience. Furthermore, as users experience completing transactions without issues, they unconsciously see risks as lower and gradually engage in purchasing behavior. Thus, trust and experience play a role as an important factor in online anxiety. 

Furthermore, repeating online shopping experiences lead to features such as purchase history, point systems, and recommendation systems to shape behavior. From the perspective of Bandura’s social learning theory (1977), watching other people safely purchase goods on the same platform gives users a sense of trust, which reduces their risk [4]. Therefore, building trust and habit acts as an important factor for helping online shopping, while reducing caution toward information security.

From Anxiety to Familiarity

In the early stage of online shopping, many users held strong anxiety about personal information risk and fraud [2]. However, these concerns have gradually decreased, and users’ behavior has shifted from cautious use to routine use. This shift comes not only from technological advancements but also from users’ psychological adaptation. 

　First, repeated purchasing experiences successful results that no problems happened, gradually reducing customers’  resistance to risks. These experiences make trust strong, changing anxiety into familiarity. In addition, observing others’ safe purchasing behaviors through social networking services and reviews provides unconscious trust.

Moreover, some strategies introduced by companies such as point systems, recommendation, and limited-time sales promote purchasing behavior and make customers dependent on the online environment because of convenience. As a result, customers’ changes  from safety to convenience, making online shopping an essential part of our daily life.

For these reasons, consumers adapt to online shopping by accepting it while ignoring their concerns rather than completely overcoming anxiety.

Considerations

In conclusion, customers’  behavior in online shopping has shifted from security concerns toward trust and familiarity. However, new challenges have also appeared such as risks being underestimated because of too much confidence and an increase in dependent purchasing behavior based on point systems and recommendation systems. Therefore, efforts are needed to re-think trust construction from psychological and moral perspectives, balancing safety and convenience.

References

[1] Y. Yanagida, M. Kato, Y. Kawata, T. Yamamoto, H. Ohshima, and S. Fujita,

“Analysis of the relationship between satisfaction and search behavior in online shopping”　Tsukuba University, 2023, 3a-4-3.pdf, accessed on 2025/ 11/ 10 

[2] S. Mikami, “A Comparative Study of the Anxiety about Internet Security: The World Internet Project, Proceedings of the World Internet Project”, shakaigakubukiyo50-2_161-173.pdf, accessed on 2025/ 11/ 11

[3] F. Meskaran, Z. Ismail, and B. Shanmugam, “Online Purchase Intention: Effects of Trust and Security Perception”, 2013, 307-315_(1)-libre.pdf, accessed on 2025/ 11/ 11

[4] A. Bandura, “Social Learning Theory”, 1977.Bandura Social Learning Theory, accessed on 2025/ 11/ 11

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