Predicting consumer intentions to shop online: An empirical test of competing theories

The proliferation of commercial Web sites providing consumers with a new medium to purchase products and services has increased the importance of understanding the determinants of consumer intentions to shop online. This study compared the technology acceptance model and two variations of the theory of planned behavior to examine which model best helps to predict consumer intentions to shop online. Data were gathered from 297 Taiwanese customers of online bookstores, and structural equation modeling was used to compare the three models in terms of overall model fit, explanatory power and path significance. Decomposing the belief structures in the theory of planned behavior moderately increased explanatory power for behavioral intention. The results also indicate that the decomposed theory of planned behavior provides an improved method of predicting consumer intentions to shop online. Finally, the implications of this study are discussed.     

Determinants of accepting wireless mobile data services in China

Data services via wireless networks and mobile devices have experienced rapid growth worldwide. We investigated the factors influencing adoption of wireless mobile data services (WMDS) in China and tested our model for explaining adoption intentions there. We argued that individuals form their intention to adopt WMDS under the influence of wireless mobile technology, the social environment, personal innovativeness of IT, trust awareness, and the facilitating conditions. We examined the simultaneous effects of these five influences on beliefs in the context of wireless Internet data services via mobile phones. Survey data were collected from 1432 participants in several metro cities across China. The findings suggest that WMDS adoption intention in China is determined by consumers’ perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of WMDS. Theoretical and practical implications are included in our paper.     

The impact of use context on mobile services acceptance: The case of mobile ticketing

The most important factor in the decision to adopt mobile systems is user perception of their value. However, behavioral theory suggests that context affects user attitude and therefore influences acceptance. We therefore hypothesized that the benefits of mobile systems should be evaluated against users’ contextual needs and that reduced dependence on time and place required providing service at any time and place needed by the user. Mental costs or costs of learning to use the system, however, may not be evaluated in the same way, because system use and learning about it are acts with different contexts. Our findings advance knowledge of IT adoption and suggest that we should start to identify the contexts of both the benefits of use and in learning to use the system.     

Toward an understanding of the behavioral intention to use mobile banking

Although millions of dollars have been spent on building mobile banking systems, reports on mobile banking show that potential users may not be using the systems, despite their availability. Thus, research is needed to identify the factors determining users' acceptance of mobile banking. While there has been considerable research on the technology acceptance model (TAM) that predicts whether individuals will accept and voluntarily use information systems, limitations of the TAM include the omission of an important trust-based construct in the context of electronic/mobile commerce, and the assumption that there are no barriers preventing an individual from using an IS if he or she chooses to do so. Based on literature relating to the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the TAM, this study extends the applicability of the TAM in a mobile banking context, by adding one trust-based construct (“perceived credibility”) and two resource-based constructs (“perceived self-efficacy” and “perceived financial cost”) to the model, while paying careful attention to the placing of these constructs in the TAM's existing nomological structure. Data collected from 180 users in Taiwan were tested against the extended TAM, using the structural equation modeling approach. The results strongly support the extended TAM in predicting users' intentions to adopt mobile banking. Several implications for IT/IS acceptance research and mobile banking management practices are discussed.     

Exploring the impact of use context on mobile hedonic services adoption: An empirical study on mobile gaming in China

Unlike traditional technologies, the use of mobile technology is exposed to shifting use contexts. Use context has frequently been described as an important factor influencing the adoption of mobile innovations. However, empirical evidence about the impact of use context is limited. This paper investigated the effect of use context on the formation of users’ perceptions of mobile hedonic services by using mobile gaming as an example. Through the employment of structural equation modelling technology, an adoption model of mobile gaming is proposed and assessed based on results from 267 questionnaires. The results show that use context is the strongest predictor of mobile game adoption. It directly or indirectly affects all different perceptions of mobile gaming in significant ways, including perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, cognitive concentration, attitude and behavioral intention. Additionally, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment and cognitive concentration all have a positive influence on the attitudinal variables of mobile game acceptance. We concluded that the formation of people’s perceptions about mobile gaming is conditional and based on the special consideration of certain use contexts. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Predicting the adoption of mobile financial services: The impacts of perceived mobility and personal habit

Mobile financial services (MFS) have become a critical issue in the financial sectors. An expanding application of mobile commerce, MFS play an important role in managing customer relationships. Thus, we proposed a model that incorporates three external variables—perceived enjoyment, perceived mobility, and personal habit—into the technology acceptance model (TAM) to assess the antecedents that influence continued usage intention in MFS. In addition, we examined the moderating effect of gender on customer relationships. Structural equation modeling was used, and 368 MFS users were investigated. The findings revealed that perceived mobility, personal habit, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use are the major antecedents that influence continued usage intention in MFS. However, perceived enjoyment is not significantly associated with intention. Moreover, gender moderates the relationships between the variables in the proposed model. Perceived mobility affecting usage intention will be stronger for men than for women, whereas personal habit affecting usage intention will be stronger for women than for men.     

Dealing with digital traces: Understanding protective behaviors on mobile devices

With increasingly digitization, more and more information is collected from individuals and organizations, leading to several privacy concerns. These risks are further heightened in the mobile realm as data collection can occur continuously and ubiquitously. When individuals use their own devices in work settings, these issues become concerns for organization as well. The question then is how to ensure individuals perform proper information protection behaviors on mobile devices. In this research, we develop a model of mobile information protection based on an integration of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the information privacy literature to explore the antecedents of the attitude of individuals towards sharing information on their mobile devices, their intentions to use protective settings, and their actual practices. The model is tested with data from 228 iPhone users. The results indicate that mobile information protection intention leads to actual privacy settings practice, and that attitude towards information sharing and mobile privacy protection self-efficacy affect this intention. Determinants of attitude towards information sharing include mobile privacy concern and trust of the mobile platform. Finally, prior invasion experience is related to privacy concern. These findings provide insights into factors that can be targeted to enhance individuals’ protective actions to limit the amount of digital information they share via their smartphones.     

Beyond usability: the OoBE dynamics of mobile data services markets

With processors imbedded in appliances, cars, books, and other retail products, modern society has entered the world of pervasive computing. Yet few consumers are able to set up new digital devices and integrate them into everyday life. From this perspective, the data-enabled mobile phone leads the way. In many markets, mobile phones have a product life cycle of 12 months or less. Some subscribers are able to put their new phones to immediate and full use. For others, the learning curve is so steep that they move on to a replacement without having learned to exploit the functionality available in the first one. This work applies earlier findings by IMARC researchers in segmenting mobile data services (MDS) markets, interprets recent survey data, and synthesizes a model to guide design of the Out-of-the-Box Experience (OoBE) for mobile data subscribers. This integrative model can be applied across cultures to help service developers, facilitators and operators design, distribute and communicate new MDS to fulfill the demand side requirements of potential adopters, and to guide packaging design to improve user experiences during the early stages of use.     

Understanding factors affecting e-reverse auction use: An integrative approach

Using electronic-reverse auction (e-reverse auction) offers many advantages to companies such as price reduction, decrease in cycle time, standardization, and transparency in purchasing process. Despite its great advantages, some users do not want to use e-reverse auction technology for the procurement of products or services. This study aims to understand factors affecting e-reverse auction usage in companies by integrating three important theories. Key constructs of technology acceptance model (TAM), theory of planned behavior (TPB), and innovation diffusion theory (IDT) are integrated to explain behavioral intention to use and actual use of e-reverse auction. Using LISREL 8.54, data collected from 156 employees working in the procurement department of companies in 40 different countries were used to test the proposed research model. Results indicated that, 76% of employees’ intention to use e-reverse auction is explained by subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and perceived usefulness. Among them, subjective norms have the strongest effect. Besides, actual use of e-reverse auction is directly predicted by behavioral intention to use. We conclude with managerial implications and recommendations for possible future research.     

m-Brand loyalty and post-adoption variations for the mobile data services: Gender differences

This paper uses the value brand model in an attempt to determine the factors affecting post-adoption intentions through brand loyalty for the mobile data services. Data were collected online from 1266 respondents. The structural equation modeling was used to test the research model. The results show that post-adoption intentions are directly influenced by intangible attributes. Product deliverables and intangible attributes indirectly affect post-adoption intentions via m-brand loyalty. However, the results of current research do not show any effects of price on post-adoption intentions. The results also show genders differences in post-adoption intentions. Practical suggestions are provided. This paper advances our knowledge of post-adoption variations in business–consumer contexts and mobile business from the perspectives of utilitarian and non-utilitarian values of the mobile data services. This paper also contributes to the theory of post-adoption by offering across-gender examination.     

Reconsidering the actual and future use of mobile services

For a number of years, Finland was considered one of the most successful countries in Europe in terms of the adoption and use of mobile services. In this paper, we focus on trends in service adoption, by discussing the development in the Finnish telecommunication market and trends in actual and future user behaviour with regard to three groups of mobile services. Based on surveys from 2004, 2005 and 2006, in which the same concepts were measured, we test models in which concepts like innovativeness, flexibility, status and entertainment value are related to mobile travel service, traditional entertainment and mobile Internet services. Our analysis shows that we cannot understand the actual and future use unless we take the characteristics and user values of the specific mobile services into account.     

Determinants of behavioral intention to mobile banking

With the improvement of mobile technologies and devices, banking users are able to conduct banking services at anyplace and at anytime. Recently, many banks in the world have provided mobile access to financial information. The reason to understand what factors contribute to users’ intention to use mobile banking is important issue of research. The purpose of this research is to examine and validate determinants of users’ intention to mobile banking. This research used a structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the causalities in the proposed model.The results indicated strong support for the validity of proposed model with 72.2% of the variance in behavioral intention to mobile banking. This study found that self-efficiency was the strongest antecedent of perceived ease-of-use, which directly and indirectly affected behavioral intention through perceived usefulness in mobile banking. Structural assurances are the strongest antecedent of trust, which could increase behavioral intention of mobile banking. This research verified the effect of perceived usefulness, trust and perceived ease-of-use on behavioral intention in mobile banking. The results have several implications for mobile banking managers.     

Towards an understanding of the consumer acceptance of mobile wallet

This study seeks to validate a comprehensive model of consumer acceptance in the context of mobile payment. It uses the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model with constructs of security, trust, social influence, and self-efficacy. Structural equation modeling is used to construct a predictive model of attitudes toward the mobile wallet. Individuals’ responses to questions about attitude and intention to adopt/use a mobile wallet were collected and analyzed with various factors modified from UTAUT. While the model confirms the classical role of technology acceptance factors (i.e., perceived usefulness and ease of use are key antecedents to users’ attitude), the results also show that users’ attitudes and intentions are influenced by perceived security and trust. In the extended model, the moderating effects of demographics on the relations among the variables were found to be significant. The proposed model brings together extant research on mobile payment and provides an important cluster of antecedents to eventual technology acceptance via constructs of behavioral intention to use and actual system usage.     

Antecedents of the adoption of the new mobile payment systems: The moderating effect of age

The purpose of this study was to propose and test an integrative theoretical model that allows one to determine the relative importance of certain factors (i.e. external influences, ease of use, attitude, usefulness, trust, risk) for the adoption of a new mobile payment system advertised on new electronic environments, as well as to analyze the eventual moderating effect of the age of the consumer in the use of this tool. The empirical results show that the proposed behavioral model was appropriately adjusted, thus proving that the age of the user introduces significant differences in the proposed relationships between influences from third parties and ease of use of the payment system, between the perceived trust in the system and its ease of use, as well as between trust and a favorable attitude towards its use.     

Investigating mobile wireless technology adoption: An extension of the technology acceptance model

This research represents a theoretical extension of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which IS researchers have used to explain technologies’ perceived usefulness and individuals intention to use it. The authors developed a model, referred to as the Mobile Wireless Technology Acceptance Model (MWTAM), to test the relationship between theoretical constructs spanning technological influence processes (Perceived Ubiquity, and Perceived Reachability) and cognitive influence processes (Job Relevance, Perceived Usefulness, and Perceived Ease of Use) and their impact on Behavioral Intention. MWTAM is assessed using data collected from an online survey and analyzed using AMOS 5.0. Results provide evidence to support MWTAM as both the technological and cognitive influence processes accounted for 58.7% of the variance explained in an individual’s Behavioral Intention toward using mobile wireless technology. Additionally, the path coefficients between constructs ranged from 0.241 to 0.572 providing further evidence to support the theoretical extension of TAM.

Consumers’ adoption of information services

This paper reports on a design science research study that seeks to investigate how information service components affect consumers’ potential adoption of such services. More specifically, the paper develops a conceptual model that uses the theory of organizational information services (TOIS) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) as a basis. The results indicate that individual constructs can be linked to service components. In turn, this result can potentially be instrumental in progress toward a deeper understanding of consumers’ adoption of information services and how this affects the development of such services and systems that support them.     

Towards an understanding of the behavioral intention to use 3G mobile value-added services

As profit margins gradually decline, and market competition becomes increasingly intensive, 3G telecom operators must provide various mobile value-added services, as well as traditional voice services, to attract new subscribers and retain old ones. However, for many 3G mobile value-added services, whether ARPU (average revenue per user) can be effectively enhanced depends on the consumer behavioral intentions. Therefore, this study uses the Technology Acceptance Model as the foundation and incorporate personal innovativeness and perceived cost to further understand consumer’s behavioral intention to use 3G mobile value-added services. The following conclusions can be reached from the research findings: (1) consumer usage rate of current 3G value-added services remains low; (2) increased personal innovativeness will directly enhance the perceived ease of use of 3G mobile value-added services; (3) the perceived usefulness is enhanced when consumers perceive higher ease of use of value-added services; (4) perceived usefulness has the strongest effect on consumer attitude, followed by perceived ease of use and perceived cost, and (5) the most important factor in increasing consumer’s behavioral intention to use 3G mobile value-added services is attitude, followed by perceived ease of use, perceived cost and perceived usefulness. Results of this study provide a valuable reference for service providers to develop mobile value-added services.     

The effects of product photographs and reputation systems on consumer behavior and product cost on eBay

For years, computer-mediated communication (CMC) research has explored and theorized about the effects of technology on the process of interpersonal impression formation. However, as the Internet has evolved to allow users to accomplish more and more day-to-day tasks (e. g., the buying and selling of goods and services) little research and theory development has explored how non-interpersonal impressions form on the internet. This work seeks to extend theoretical perspectives on online signaling (the warranting effect; Walther & Parks, 2002) to predict consumer behavior on the popular online auction website, eBay.com. A content analysis of 217 completed eBay auctions revealed that auctions that featured higher seller reputation scores and actual product photographs (vs. stock photographs) generated more bidding interest and resulted in higher final sales prices. These findings as well as future theoretical development in this area are discussed.     

The economics of mobile payments: Understanding stakeholder issues for an emerging financial technology application

Economic theory provides a unique vantage point from which to examine issues with respect to emerging technologies, where standards and adoption, business process changes and implementation outcomes, information security, investments and business value, and industry impact require care and consideration on the part of senior management strategists and financial services leaders. In this article, we examine a new technology application which is coming into its own around the world, in association with the revolution in wireless connectivity: mobile payments. Although there are likely to be nuances and surprises with this technology application, we caution the reader to recognize that many of the same economic forces will be at work as were with other financial services and related technology applications in the past. We apply a robust evaluative framework that permits identification of the relevant stakeholders and applicable theory in the analysis of consumer, firm, business process, market, industrial and social issues. Our findings are intended to guide senior managers in dealing with the economic aspects of mobile payments, and to help identify some important directions for the research.