UNVEILING NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS: UNDERSTANDING SWEDISH CONSUMER DYNAMICS IN CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE WITH AMAZON AND TEMU

Abstract

Driven by advancements in technology, the growth of cross-border e-commerce has impacted the entire retail sector by offering customers incredible levels of global market access. However, this has also resulted in concerns as well as negative sentiments regarding established e-commerce platforms such as those of Amazon and Temu among Sweden customers. Through illuminating the complex interactions between customer expectations, experiences, and future intentions, this study seeks to identify the fundamental causes of these negative views. Through a rigorous exploratory research design, the study employs in-depth interviews with Swedish consumers, leveraging snowball sampling to ensure diversity and representativeness. The semi-structured interviews, conducted both online and face-to-face, provide rich insights into the participants' lived experiences and perspectives, unveiling the nuances that shape their attitudes towards cross-border e-commerce platforms. The research design is the systematic effort of capturing broad and rich possibilities and capturing the dynamic of consumers experiences and their thoughts, incorporating ethically sensitive topics, green consumerism, trust and reputation, customer satisfaction and service quality. Thus, in gaining deeper insights about these critical areas, it is the objective of the study to expose the complex relationship determinations that shape the negative attitudes towards Amazon and Temu in the Swedish market. The implications of the study that is presented in the current paper are therefore of significant significance for consumer advocacy organizations, legislators, and various online retailers. By understanding the antecedents that lead to negative attitudes towards cross-border purchases, there are likely signs and strategies developed by stakeholders that can address consumer concerns, enhance the level of information disclosure, and enhance the overall satisfaction that consumers get when making their purchases from international companies. Consequently, this study contributes towards apprehending opportunities and challenges for the continuous and dynamic e-commerce environment and paves way towards a consumer oriented and sustainable e-commerce in Sweden and globally.