Perceived risk of Theories of Technology Acceptance

            One of the main concerns expressed in the academic literature is related to the risk perceived by customers when buying a specific good, both in traditional shopping and in online environments. Consumer behavior involves risk since any action of a consumer will produce consequences that he or she views with some amount of uncertainty (Nicolas, C., & Castillo, J. 2008). in other words consumers are apprehensive when they cannot be sure that purchases will allow them to achieve their buying goals (Forsythe, M. & Shi, B. ,2003).In Table I different aspects of perceived risk along with their definitions are given. Among the reasons commonly cited for consumers aborting purchase attempts are a reluctance to supply personal and credit card information, technical problems with web sites, and problems in locating products (Nicolas, C., & Castillo, J. 2008). The concept perceived risks refers to the consumer's anticipation of negative results or expectation of loss (Jacobs, B. & Klerk, H. M. D. 2007). The concept of perceived risk exists when consumer cannot completely foresee the consequences of his/her behavior (Mafe, C. R., Blas, S. S., & Manzano, J.A. 2009). The consumer's subjective belief of suffering a loss in pursuit of a desired outcome, thus, consumers have personal beliefs regarding the inherent risks involved in every transaction based on the limited information available to them [17]. So, perceived behavioral control positively affects online shopping intention (Crespo, A. H., & Bosque, I. R. 2008). Thus, in online contexts, an increase in the risk perceived by customers could reduce their intention to buy through that web site [16] and the more risky a type of interaction is perceived to be, the more trust is necessary (Buttner, O. B., & Goritz, A. S.,2008). Indeed, several studies have suggested that risk perceptions toward remote purchasing methods can affect related shopping behavior. Thus, consumers who perceive fewer risks or concerns toward online shopping are expected to make more online purchases than more risk-laden consumers (Nicolas, C., & Castillo, J. 2008). Perceived risk is associated not only with what is acquired but also how or where it is acquired. Consumers perceive risks in most store purchase decisions and higher risk in in-home shopping such as ordering by the telephone or mail. Cox and rich found the most commonly stated reason for not shopping by telephone was a fear of not getting what was wanted. (Forsythe, M. & Shi, B. ,2003).