Blockchain-based e-Commerce Platforms and Sustainable Products: How Transparency Influences Consumer Willingness to Pay a High Price?

Abstract

This study investigates how the perceived transparency of a blockchain-based B2C e-commerce platform affects the perceived quality of a sustainable product and encourages consumers’ willingness to pay a high price. We conducted focus group discussions to design a scenario and user interface (UI) and developed a survey to test our study model. The results revealed that the perceived transparency of a blockchain-based B2C e-commerce platform enhances consumers’ willingness to pay a high price for a sustainable product by manifesting the perceived quality of a sustainable product. Further, we observed that high sustainable information clarity reduces the impact of the perceived transparency of a blockchain-based B2C e-commerce platform on the perceived quality of a sustainable product. This study contributes to the IS literature by providing insights into the intricate effects of blockchain-based B2C e-commerce platform transparency, underscoring the importance of sustainable information clarity in shaping consumers’ perceptions of sustainable product quality.