ABSTRACT
The coronavirus outbreak has necessitated physical distancing to be ruled out as a measure to control the virus transmission. The pandemic has also called forth an alternative among Malaysians to continue their livelihood, including opting for mobile wallets during routine business transactions. Despite the growing number reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 40% increase has yet to reach the optimum level of usage, indicating that mobile wallet use will remain relatively low. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate mobile wallet usage amidst the COVID-19 pandemic by using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The present research was conducted nationwide, involving a sample size of 452 who completed the distributed questionnaires. The analysis of data utilised the Smart Partial Least Square (SmartPLS). The results show a significant relationship between perceived usefulness and attitude towards mobile wallet usage. The respondents believe that using mobile wallets would be beneficial to them. In addition, perceived ease of use is also found to be significant, and the respondents believe that they do not require much effort to use a mobile wallet. The attitudes towards using mobile wallets have also observed a significant relationship with the intention of Malaysians to use them. For future research, it is recommended that the study is conducted with larger sample size and that the integration of a qualitative approach is considered to better understand the usage of mobile wallets in a similar context. © 2018 Malaysian Consumer and Family Economics Association (MACFEA).
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the social and economic well-being of the world. From an economic perspective, nations around the world have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, including Malaysia. Billions of Ringgit Malaysia have been lost, and businesses, especially SMEs, have suffered tremendously. However, the number of online businesses has increased due to the pandemic response that forced people to stay home. Thus, this paper studies the online business phenomenon among SMEs in Malaysia. The study employs a quantitative survey among online business entrepreneurs in Malaysia. Based on the findings, it reveals that of the SMEs in Malaysia that ventured into online business, most were motivated by the pandemic as they saw it as a business opportunity. Surprisingly, the majority of them agreed that the pandemic positively impacted their business and their sustainability. © 2022 by the authors.