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The Role of Third-Party Seals in Building Trust Online
- e-Service Journal
- Indiana University Press
- Volume 2, Number 3, Summer 2003
- pp. 71-84
- 10.1353/esj.2004.0003
- Article
- Additional Information
Third-party seal programs, such as BBBOnLine, have emerged as a thriving e-service for building consumer trust on the Internet. Given the impersonal nature of electronic commerce, third-party seals are well positioned to act as the intermediary between competitive online vendors and nervous online consumers. This article surveys the current landscape of existing third- party seal programs, examines their role in building trust between vendors and consumers, and discusses the challenges that lie ahead.