The authors propose that consumers’ shopping styles influence online perceived benefits and risks in online shopping. An empirical test of the models provide support for the majority of the hypothesized relationships and a better understanding of the effects of consumers’ shopping on perceived benefits and risks in online shopping.

As social media platforms (e.g., Facebook) and related online communication channels (e.g., review websites and community forums) grow in quantity and commercial orientation, marketing practitioners and scholars alike have recognised the importance of understanding and influencing online consumer communication processes. Specifically, it is suggested that online opinion leaders (‘Epinion leaders’) can be utilised as a target group to manage negative e-word-of-mouth (‘e-WOM’) and e-complaints. This study identifies and targets Epinion leaders and explores three central personality characteristics – altruism, self-confidence and the need for uniqueness – as a means of understanding Epinion leaders’ motivations to communication and tailoring corporate communication campaigns. The study focusses herby on the rapidly growing and increasingly influential 50-years+ e-commerce segment (i.e., ‘silver surfers’). Based on an online survey of 1,700 e-consumers aged 50 years and older, the proposed structural equation model verifies the positive influence of Epinion leadership on the propensity to spread negative e-WOM and e-complaints while demonstrating the applicability of personality characteristics as means of influencing consumers’ online communication strategies. The findings demonstrate that addressing consumers’ self-confidence can be an essential way of reducing negative e-WOM and encouraging e-complaints, which show opposing effects on customer satisfaction. For practitioners, this study emphasises the usefulness of negative Epinion leaders as a target group and recommends fostering consumers’ self-confidence in order to prevent negative online opinion-cascades and increase overall satisfaction.

The study examines the relationship between perceived mental benefits, online trust, and personal information disclosure when shopping online in Vietnam. The e-commerce market has been booming in Vietnam since 2015. The number of online transactions and e-commerce sites has increased steadily in recent years. However, the number of online sales in Vietnam is still not high, and consumers are still limited in buying from websites when they have to provide too much information during and after the shopping process. The mix-method is used to ensure the scientific nature of the study. Qualitative research method (phenomenological research) along with the quantitative research method (survey) are applied to meet the research objectives. The data in the study was collected through the group discussion with eight experts and the survey with 917 respondents. Data processing result via SmartPLS software indicate the positive relationships between the factors in the research. The perceived mental benefits have the most potent influence on the online trust of Vietnamese customers; at the same time, both the perceived mental benefits and online trust affect customers personal information disclosure in electronic commerce. Some managerial implications relating increasing the perceived mental benefits, and customers' online trust are proposed for online businesses.