Global online shopping as a catalyst for intercultural sensitivity: Evidence from 69 countries

Zeren Yu, Mengying Gong, Jinyu Wang and Zhenzhen Zuo

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2025, vol. 221, issue C

Abstract: Amid globalization and digitalization, cross-border e-commerce has become a key driver of global trade, connecting consumers and sellers from diverse cultures. However, its socio-psychological implications remain underexplored. Treating cross-border online shopping as an informal multicultural experience, this study examines its causal impact on intercultural sensitivity and mechanisms. Guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS), we integrated survey data from 1512 consumers in 69 countries with national indicators such as GDP per capita and the Globalization Index to estimate a single-group structural equation model. A multi-group model assessed heterogeneity across gender, Hofstede's cultural dimensions, and the B2C e-commerce index. Results show that: (1) cross-border online shopping significantly enhances intercultural sensitivity; (2) high service and product satisfaction amplify this effect, whereas low satisfaction diminishes it; (3) economic development and globalization also foster intercultural sensitivity; (4) performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions jointly predict consumption behavior; (5) demographic, cultural, and technological contexts shape these mechanisms (e.g., collectivists relying more on social influence and facilitating conditions, showing stronger sensitivity gains). The study offers novel theoretical insights for intercultural sensitivity research and practical guidance for promoting cross-border e-commerce in diverse markets.

Keywords: Intercultural sensitivity; Cross-border e-commerce; Consumption behavior; Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT); Intercultural sensitivity scale (ISS); Hofstede's cultural dimensions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162525004056
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:221:y:2025:i:c:s0040162525004056

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124374

Access Statistics for this article

Technological Forecasting and Social Change is currently edited by Fred Phillips

More articles in Technological Forecasting and Social Change from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().