"What I Ordered VS What I Got": The Impact of Product Mismatch on Online Consumer Trust and Repurchase Intention in Nigeria

In the Nigerian e-commerce industry, this study examined the problem known as "What I ordered vs. what I got" and its effects on customer trust and repurchase intention. A quantitative survey design was used to gather information from 386 Nigerian internet buyers. With a high mean perception score (≈ 3.97), descriptive statistics showed that product mismatch which might take the form of variations in quality, color, size, or features between ordered and delivered items occurs frequently. Product mismatch was found to have substantial negative correlations with consumer satisfaction (r = -.59, p < .01) and trust (r = -.62, p < .01) according to correlation analysis. Furthermore, regression analysis revealed that repurchase behavior was positively influenced by trust (β = .42, p < .001) and satisfaction (β = .33, p < .001), whereas mismatch adversely predicted repurchase intention (β = −.36, p < .001). The association between mismatch and repurchase is somewhat mediated by consumer pleasure, according to the findings, whereas trust is the most significant factor influencing repeat business. These findings support the theories of trust and expectation-confirmation, which hold that behavioral loyalty and post-purchase ratings are weakened by product mismatch. The study concludes that maintaining confidence and loyalty in Nigeria's rapidly expanding e-commerce sector requires reducing product mismatch through stronger seller verification, better product visualization, and efficient service recovery. Enforcing consumer protection laws, improving return and refund procedures, and providing incentives to vendors to uphold truthful product representation are some of the policy ideas. The study highlights areas for further empirical research on service recovery and visualization technologies while also adding to the expanding body of knowledge on online consumer behavior in emerging nations.