Overcoming the Obscurity of Local Entrepreneurial Artisan Firms: The Role of E-Commerce Signals

(disponible en anglais seulement)

[VERSION EN PRÉPUBLICATION]

Mustapha Cheikh-Ammar, Jessica Darveau

Mustapha Cheikh-Ammar is a Full Professor of Information Systems at Laval University’s Faculty of Business Administration and Director of CeRTIA (Centre de recherche en technologies de l’information et affaires). His research has appeared or is forthcoming in prominent journals such as European Journal of Information Systems, Information & Management, Information Systems Journal, Internet Research, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change.
Jessica Darveau is an Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing at Laval University. Her academic and professional background reflects an interdisciplinary approach that bridges the fields of marketing, art, and cultural studies. Her scholarly contributions include publications in academic journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics, International Journal of Research in Marketing, and Psychology & Marketing.

ABSTRACT
This study investigates how Local Entrepreneurial Artisan Firms (LEAFs) can use e-commerce website design to shape consumer trust and organizational perception. Drawing on signaling theory, we develop a model that explains how cues embedded in a LEAF’s website—conveying information about the firm, its products, and the website itself—influence consumer inferences. We distinguish between direct inferences about the firm—brand trust, credibility, and corporate image—and indirect inferences based on perceptions of the website and products. Using survey data collected from 294 participants who interacted with the e-commerce website of a real-life LEAF specializing in handcrafted chordophone instruments, we show that consumers rely on these signals to evaluate unfamiliar firms. The findings underscore the strategic value of e-commerce websites as persuasive tools for small artisan firms and extend signaling theory by identifying digital cues that shape consumer perception.
KEYWORDS
Artisan entrepreneurs; e-commerce signals; unknown firms; trust; website design