Abstract
The rapidly growing world of electronic commerce has transformed consumer buying patterns, yet existing studies in developing economic contexts have largely emphasized IT infrastructure and payment systems, leaving theory-based explanations of consumers’ intention to purchase online underexplored. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing the online purchase intention of consumers in Somalia by extending the Technology Acceptance Model with trust and information quality, addressing a gap in theory-driven e-commerce research in developing markets. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire via Google Forms from 260 university students and was analyzed using structural equation modeling with partial least squares (SEM-PLS) to assess relationships among constructs. The findings indicate that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and trust have positive influences on consumers’ intention to purchase online, with trust having the strongest influence, while information quality was found to be insignificant in affecting online purchase intention in the Somali context. These results imply that, in the Somali context, consumers prioritize confidence in platforms and seller reliability over the quality of information presented. The study contributes to existing knowledge by demonstrating that trust is a critical factor in emerging digital markets and offers practical implications for online retailers, platform developers, and policymakers by emphasizing the importance of building trust-enhancing features and creating user-friendly systems to support the sustainable growth of e-commerce in developing economies.