Quality, value, satisfaction, trust, a

these findings rests on the positive association between all three dimensions of intangibility and difficulty
of evaluation, something not previously demonstrated.
5.3. Intangibility, Knowledge, and Involvement: Perceived Risk (H4b, H5b, and H6b)
Like Goutaland (1999), who found a positive relationship between mental intangibility and overall
perceived risk, we uncovered links between mental intangibility and all five types of risk (H4b). The
finding that generality only affects social and psychological risk (H5b) may also explain why it had no
significant effect on overall perceived risk in Goutaland’s study. Though a positive relationship between
physical intangibility and risk was expected (e.g., Mitchell and Greatorex 1993), Goutaland (1999) found
no such association. Similar findings were reproduced here across all four types of risk, except social risk
(H6b). Mental intangibility, which is more apt to impact perceived risk than generality or physical
intangibility, should therefore be targeted to reduce perceived risk associated with virtual and traditional
products/services.
5.4. Intangibility, Difficulty of Evaluation, and Perceived Risk: Brand and Generic Product Categories
(H7a and H7b)
Since the features/characteristics of generic products/services are harder to describe and to
physically grasp than those of branded ones, the effects of generality and physical intangibility on
evaluation difficulty and risk were consistently greater in the generic context. The impact of mental
intangibility on both difficulty of evaluation and perceived risk, was systematically greater at the brand
level as opposed to the generic one. This finding is contrary to the general belief that brands tangibilize
goods/services and thus help reduce evaluation difficulty and perceived risk.
5.5. Knowledge and Involvement (H8 to H13)
5.5.1. Knowledge and Involvement: Direct Relationships (H9a, H9b, H12a, and H12b)
Similar to other studies, we found full or partial support for all the hypotheses linking knowledge
and involvement with difficulty of evaluation and perceived risk (i.e., H9a, H9b, H12a, and H12b) (e.g.,
Goutaland 1999). The relationship between involvement and time risk proved to be an important
exception. Consumer’s willingness to spend time on purchase-related information search translates into
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