Trust as a Bridge: Digital Marketing Capability, Product Certification, and Repurchase Intention in E-Commerce
Keywords:
Digital marketing capability, product legal certification, customer trust, repurchase intention, local food product
Abstract
Not every online seller competes on equal terms. A home-scale food producer with a good product but a neglected storefront is, in effect, competing against sellers with better photographs. This study asks how two very different kinds of seller signal - competence, expressed through digital marketing capability, and safety, expressed through product legal certification - reach the consumer, and whether they arrive through the same psychological door.
We survey 100 consumers of Kacang Tore Kawangkoan, a traditional fried snack from Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi, and estimate a partial least squares model. Trust turns out to matter more than either signal on its own. Digital marketing capability and product legal certification each raise customer trust, and trust is by a wide margin the strongest single predictor of repurchase intention (beta = 0.548). The two signals, though, do not reach loyalty in the same way. Digital marketing capability retains a small but significant direct effect on repurchase (beta = 0.168, p = 0.033), so trust only partly carries it. Product legal certification has no significant direct effect (beta = 0.092, p = 0.248); its entire contribution travels through trust. One signal opens the door, the other is read at the door, and only the first gets a consumer back inside. We discuss what this asymmetry implies for certification policy among micro, small and medium enterprises, and why displaying a certificate is not the same as communicating one.
Keywords: Digital marketing capability; product legal certification; customer trust; repurchase intention; PLS-SEM; local food products
References
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Zhao, X., Lynch, J. G., & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 197-206. https://doi.org/10.1086/651257
Badan Pusat Statistik Provinsi Sulawesi Utara. (2024). Provinsi Sulawesi Utara dalam angka 2024. BPS Provinsi Sulawesi Utara. https://sulut.bps.go.id
Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Produk Halal. (2025, October 1). Sertifikat halal terbukti dongkrak kepercayaan konsumen dan tingkatkan omzet. BPJPH. https://bpjph.halal.go.id
Bachtiar, T. (2026). The effect of halal certification on consumer trust and purchase decisions for MSME products in Boyolali: A field study of business actors and consumers. Civil Officium: Journal of Empirical Studies on Social Science, 6(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.53754/civilofficium.v6i1.1017
Bentler, P. M., & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88(3), 588-606. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588
Brach, S., Walsh, G., & Shaw, D. (2018). Sustainable consumption and third-party certification labels: Consumers' perceptions and reactions. European Management Journal, 36(2), 254-265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2017.03.005
Chiu, C.-M., Wang, E. T. G., Fang, Y.-H., & Huang, H.-Y. (2009). Understanding customers' repeat purchase intentions in B2C e-commerce. Information Systems Journal, 19(1), 51-72. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2575.2008.00289.x
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
Fachrurrozie, M., Nurkhin, A., Mukhibad, H., & Mohd Daud, N. (2023). Determinants of halal food purchase decisions for GoFood and ShopeeFood users. Innovative Marketing, 19(1), 113-125. https://doi.org/10.21511/im.19(1).2023.10
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Gefen, D., Karahanna, E., & Straub, D. W. (2003). Trust and TAM in online shopping: An integrated model. MIS Quarterly, 27(1), 51-90. https://doi.org/10.2307/30036524
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Hellier, P. K., Geursen, G. M., Carr, R. A., & Rickard, J. A. (2003). Customer repurchase intention: A general structural equation model. European Journal of Marketing, 37(11/12), 1762-1800. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560310504232
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
Hu, L.-T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
Kim, D. J., Ferrin, D. L., & Rao, H. R. (2008). A trust-based consumer decision-making model in electronic commerce: The role of trust, perceived risk, and their antecedents. Decision Support Systems, 44(2), 544-564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2007.07.001
Lufiati, L. O., & Suparna, G. (2023). The influence of digital marketing on repurchase intentions mediated by trust in the Shopee marketplace in Denpasar City. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 6(8), 4788-4794. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i8-24
Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709-734. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9508080335
McKnight, D. H., Choudhury, V., & Kacmar, C. (2002). Developing and validating trust measures for e-commerce. Information Systems Research, 13(3), 334-359. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.13.3.334.98
Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299405800302
Nurharis, Z., & Erpurini, W. (2026). How social media marketing and online reviews influence the likelihood of customers buying again: The role of brand trust among Tokopedia users in Bandung City. International Journal of Management Science and Information Technology, 6(2), 1974-1984. https://journal.lembagakita.com/ijmsit/article/view/8292
Pavlou, P. A. (2003). Consumer acceptance of electronic commerce: Integrating trust and risk with TAM. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 7(3), 101-134. https://doi.org/10.1080/10864415.2003.11044284
Putri, D. A., Zusrony, E., & Andriana, M. (2026). Determinants of purchase intention for halal skincare products among Generation Z consumers. BIMA Journal (Business, Management, & Accounting Journal), 7(1), 155-166. https://doi.org/10.37638/bima.7.1.155-166
Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355-374. https://doi.org/10.2307/1882010
Utami, M. D. S., Findartika, L. D., Syauqi, U., & Faraby, M. E. (2025). Exploration of trust and consumer satisfaction factors toward halal cosmetics on Shopee. Al-Muamalah: Jurnal Ekonomi Islam, Filantropi dan Perbankan Syariah, 2(2), 204-215. https://journal.syamilahpublishing.com/muamalah/article/view/548
Voorhees, C. M., Brady, M. K., & Calantone, R. L. (2016). Discriminant validity testing in marketing: An analysis, causes for concern, and proposed remedies. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(1), 119-134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-015-0455-4
Wenintias, S. S., Asmin, E. A., & Andari, T. T. (2025). Trust as a mediation of online customer reviews, ratings, and viral marketing on repurchase intention of viral Tiktok Shop skincare users in Sukabumi Regency. Management Studies and Entrepreneurship Journal, 6(4), 6599-6622. https://journal.yrpipku.com/index.php/msej/article/view/8192
Wijayanthi, N. P. P. A., & Widya Goca, I. G. P. A. (2022). Pengaruh kepercayaan, kualitas produk, dan kepuasan konsumen terhadap repurchase intention di Tokopedia. Jurnal Manajemen dan Bisnis Equilibrium, 8(1), 102-117. https://doi.org/10.47329/jurnal_mbe.v8i1.844
Zhao, X., Lynch, J. G., & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 197-206. https://doi.org/10.1086/651257
Published
2026-10-12
How to Cite
Raintung, M. C., Loindong, S. S. R., & Kawet, R. C. (2026). Trust as a Bridge: Digital Marketing Capability, Product Certification, and Repurchase Intention in E-Commerce. International Journal of Economics, Business and Innovation Research, 5(06), 912-934. https://doi.org/10.63922/ijebir.v5i06.6835
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