Purchasing services online: a two‐country generalization of possible influences

– This research aims to investigate consumers' likelihood of purchasing services online in two countries, the UK and Italy, which differ significantly in the population's uptake of internet shopping. Four influences are considered: service type, contact with service provider prior to online purchase, familiarity with service provider, and experience with internet purchasing., – For motor insurance and travel, respondents were asked to indicate the probability of purchasing on the internet the service of a provider they had used before, after a face‐to‐face contact with the provider, and also without prior contact with the service provider. Respondents were asked the same questions also for a provider they had not used before., – Differences in the relative uptake of internet shopping in the two countries did not alter the general results: a need for face‐to‐face contact with the service provider prior to online purchase and a preference for buying services from a familiar provider. Previous general experience of online shopping increases the likelihood of purchasing online., – Future studies should examine a broader range of service categories and should consider travel products of different complexity., – Online/offline integration of service provision is very important, as consumers highly appreciate some form of human contact, prior to online purchase, even in countries where consumers are more used to shopping from home., – The paper provides a better understanding of the influences on consumers' likelihood of purchasing services online. Findings are generalized in two countries, with different uptake of internet shopping.