Modeling Customer Trust Using Security, Privacy, and Service Quality Indicators

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a transformative force in modern e-commerce systems by enabling personalized services, automated customer interactions, and advanced data analytics. Despite these technological advancements, the success of AI-driven e-commerce platforms largely depends on the level of customer trust established between consumers and digital marketplaces. Trust is influenced by several technological and service-related factors, particularly security assurance, privacy protection, and service quality. This study investigates how these factors collectively influence customer trust and purchase intention in AI-enabled e-commerce environments. The research proposes a conceptual model that examines the relationships between security mechanisms, privacy safeguards, service quality indicators, and customer trust. A quantitative research approach was adopted, utilizing structured survey data and statistical modeling techniques to evaluate the proposed relationships. Correlation and regression analyses were applied to determine the strength and significance of the relationships among the study variables. The findings indicate that security, privacy, and service quality significantly influence customer trust in AI-driven e-commerce platforms. Among these factors, service quality demonstrates the strongest impact on trust formation, followed by security and privacy protection. Furthermore, the results confirm that customer trust positively affects consumers’ purchase intention, highlighting its critical role as a mediating variable between technological attributes and consumer behavior. The study contributes to the literature by providing an integrated analytical framework that explains trust formation in AI-enabled digital commerce systems. The findings also offer practical implications for e-commerce companies seeking to strengthen customer relationships by implementing secure infrastructure, transparent privacy policies, and high-quality digital services. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the digital commerce ecosystem, maintaining trustworthy, transparent, and ethical AI systems will be essential for sustainable business growth.