Consumers' acceptance of social commerce during COVID-19 lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything, especially marketing, leading to increased digital usage. Social media allows faster connectivity among people and gives marketers new pathways to engage with consumers. The lockdown dramatically reduced economic activity by numbers that are worth understanding. This study examines the numerous aspects contributing to the consumer's favorable opinions toward their social commerce intents and behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using SEM, the data examination of 297 respondents established that applying the social support theory and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model to the proposed theoretical framework is significantly associated with social commerce intentions. The results state that all the direct hypotheses have been supported, confirming that social support, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, offline subjective norms, and online subjective norms are significantly associated with social commerce intentions. The results also indicated that Information Technology Infrastructure (ITI) moderated social support, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and online subjective norms.

Factors Affecting Online Banking Adoption among Students During COVID-19: Case of Universiti Utara Malaysia-UUM

Online banking-OB is a new information system that uses the Internet's creative resources to allow users to access a growing variety of financial services. It offers that country an advantage over other countries in financial transactions. During the lockdown and implementation of social distancing, it was difficult for students to buy daily necessities in stores, and many Malaysians turned to the Internet to fulfil their purchasing requirements. This paper aims to explore the adoption of online banking and describe the factors affecting online banking adoption among undergraduate students at UUM. The data was collected through a quantitative approach using a random sampling technique. A total of 210 students were selected and filled out the questionnaire. The study found that most students adopt online banking, and perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and consumer attitude represent most factors influencing online banking adoption. © 2022 IEEE.

Adoption of FinTech services amidst COVID-19 pandemic: empirical evidence from Assam

PurposeThe paper intends to comprehend the pattern of usage of FinTech services among bank customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper also examines the factors influencing the adoption of FinTech services by using the constructs from the technology acceptance model (TAM) together with highlighting the issues faced in using FinTech services in Assam.Design/methodology/approachThe research is empirical in nature. Data have been collected from 1,066 prime earners of the households having a bank account.FindingsThere has been an upsurge in the use of FinTech services in the area of study. Apart from government and private service employees, businessmen, self-employed professionals, many daily-wage earners and agriculturists have also experienced an increase in their frequency of usage of FinTech services thereby making technology-based financial services an indispensable tool in enhancing access, improving inclusivity in the times of crisis and aftermath. Government support, trust, perceived usefulness (PU), attitude and social influence have a positive influence on FinTech adoption;however, perceived risks impact respondents' trust towards FinTech services thereby requiring necessary measures to evaluate organizations' preparedness to deal with cyber threats.Originality/valueThe paper provides insight into the factors impacting the adoption of FinTech services to stimulate superior connectivity infrastructure, robust security measures and maintaining financial stability with adequate supervisory and monitoring regulations to enhance trust towards FinTech services during the crisis and aftermath.

Consumers’ perceived value and use intention of cashless payment in the physical distancing context: evidence from an Asian emerging market

Purpose COVID-19 and its measures such as physical distancing have shifted consumer payment behaviors toward cashless payment. Physical distancing is likely to remain a norm for some time to come and will be relevant in any future pandemics. This study aims to examine the impact of consumers' perceived value of cashless payment on their use intention in the physical distancing context, with the mediating role of psychological safety and the moderating role of trust propensity. Design/methodology/approach This study used a survey method to obtain data from 690 consumers in an Asian emerging market, i.e. Vietnam. The data were analyzed using different statistical methods, including structural equation modeling. Findings Results show that perceived value of cashless payment positively affects use intention, and this effect is mediated by psychological safety. Furthermore, trust propensity has a positive moderating effect on the link between perceived value and psychological safety. Practical implications This study's findings provide implications for retailers and other stakeholders in implementing and promoting cashless payment systems, especially in the physical distancing context. Originality/value This study is among the first attempt to explain the relationships between consumers' perceptions, feelings of psychological safety and use intention toward cashless payment in the physical distancing context. The study's findings may also be relevant to any future pandemics.

Internet banking adoption under Technology Acceptance Model—Evidence from Cambodian users

The Cambodian banking sector has experienced significant growth in recent years due to macroeconomic stability and an investment-friendly policy. Similarly, using internet banking (IB) to access financial services without being physically present was extremely convenient and advantageous during the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, identifying the factors influencing mobile banking adoption is crucial to maximizing its use. Hence, consumer behavior intentions to adopt IB were explored in this study. It aimed to use a questionnaire-based approach to collect and analyze quantitative data (n = 391) on customer adaptation to IB to test the hypotheses underlying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by adding a subjective norm (SN) construct to the model and empirically testing it with a sample of Cambodians. Equally, the data was analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results confirmed that perceptions of trust and usefulness are the critical determinants of attitude toward IB and intention to adopt IB. However, perceived ease of use was found to be non-significant. Significantly, it provides a valuable insight into the potential effects of socially pressured behaviors, so-called SN, on TAM. Accordingly, the SN is oriented toward AT, which ultimately impacts the adoption of IB. Hence, the findings of this study can be applied to theoretically and empirically adopt IB. © 2022 The Author(s)

A study of Indian Gen X and Millennials consumers’ intention to use FinTech payment services during COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose Amid the COVID-19 contamination, people are bound to use contactless FinTech payment services. Because of restrictions on physical movement and avoidance of touching physical money, people willingly choose mobile payment, resulting in enormous growth in FinTech payment service industries. Because of this, this study aims to examine the effect of factors affecting Gen X and Millennials users to use FinTech payment services. Design/methodology/approach The authors used 328 responses collected through convenience sampling of Indian users aged between 26 and 57 years in the Delhi-NCR region who are users of FinTech payment services. Findings The authors' findings verified that in India, perceived COVID-19 risk, perceived severity for COVID, individual mobility, subjective norms, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness have statistically significant impacts on FinTech payment services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural equation modelling was used to study the proposed research model. Overall, the model predicted 76.9 % of the variation in intention to use FinTech payment services by the abovesaid variables by Indian users during a pandemic. Practical implications This study will provide valuable insight to all FinTech service providers and stakeholders in planning and designing the concerned policy. It will be able to draw the attention of users more. Originality/value This research added a valuable theory to the existing technology adoption model (TAM) theory. It demonstrated the utility of the above variables in adopting and using FinTech payment services, which will help service providers to develop future strategies because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cashless preferences during the COVID-19 pandemic: investigating user intentions to continue UPI-based payment systems in India

Purpose This study aims to examine the factors influencing user satisfaction with unified payment interface (UPI)-based payment systems during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The study also aimed to examine whether the user satisfaction with UPI-based payment systems during the COVID-19 pandemic will transform into their continuance intention post-COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The study was performed in three phases, i.e. pre-testing (for developing questionnaire), pilot study (using exploratory factor analysis to ensure unidimensionality) and the main study. The main study was based on the feedback from a sample of 369 internet users who first used the UPI-based payment system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data generated were analysed using the structural equation modelling approach. Findings The study findings suggest that the users who are satisfied with UPI-based transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to continue their use of this payment mode in future. Factors such as post-adoption perceived value, perceived usefulness and post-adoption perceived risk were observed to be key constructs in explaining user satisfaction and continued intention for UPI-based payment systems. Originality/value The study is one of the pioneering studies, in the sense that it investigated the continuance intention of UPI-based payment systems, which, surprisingly, did not gain much attention from past researchers.

MFS usage intention during COVID-19 and beyond: an integration of health belief and expectation confirmation model

Purpose The usage rate of mobile financial services (MFS) has shown an uptick since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. This study aims to reveal the underpinning reasons for such MFS surge and its continuance by integrating health belief model (HBM) and expectation confirmation model (ECM). Design/methodology/approach The study analyzes 529 MFS users' responses during the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh using the partial least square method. Findings Satisfaction is more predictive than perceived usefulness in explaining continuance usage intention. Expectation confirmation also indirectly affects continuance intention. Among the HBM constructs, the indirect effect of perceived severity on continuance intention via perceived usefulness and satisfaction is significant. Besides, the impact of self-efficacy on continuance intention is also significant. Moreover, perceived credibility significantly affects satisfaction and indirectly affected continuance usage intention via satisfaction. Practical implications The study projects boosting customers' satisfaction is critical for the successful retention of existing MFS customers. MFS service providers should emphasize the factors that amplify satisfaction. They must evaluate preadoption factors so that customers can have positive confirmation. Especially, the service providers, the policymakers and the regulators should take an active role in improving the users' self-efficacy and the system's credibility. Undertaking the MFS literacy program, installing hotline service to provide emergency help will boost users' confidence in using the system. Originality/value The study is a unique contribution in the context of Bangladesh. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous MFS studies in Bangladesh explored MFS continuance usage intention during COVID-19 and beyond. Besides, the inclusion of "perceived credibility" in the framework will supplement the earlier studies conducted on this aspect.

I won't touch money because it is dirty: examining customer's loyalty toward M-payment

Purpose Several industries including banking are booming because of COVID-19. However, it is still unknown whether this growth is momentary or permanent in nature. Hence, this study aims to identify the role of health-related concerns and trust as stimuli on M-payment loyalty. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through Google Forms from 431 participants. Subjects were M-payment users. The hypothesized model was tested using structural equational modeling. Findings Results of the study indicate that perceived severity and trust act as stimuli for M-payment loyalty. Further, trust not only influences loyalty directly but also through intimacy. Additionally, no linear relationship was found between perceived usefulness and M-payment loyalty. Originality/value This work is an early attempt to consider health-related concerns and trust as stimuli to predict M-payment loyalty. Further, this study focused on three new constructs, namely perceived severity, perceived susceptibility and intimacy, that are underexplored in digital banking literature.

I Am too old for this! Barriers contributing to the non-adoption of mobile payment

Purpose Since its inception, mobile payment is rapidly gaining popularity over the years, and starting to replace traditional modes of payment. The usage of mobile payments has further escalated following various precautionary measures (i.e. social distancing) in curbing the transmission of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, most of the elderlies are still sceptical about the usage of mobile payment services. The current study was set to investigate the impact of functional, psychological and risk barriers that resulted in elderlies' resistance towards using such services. The impact of stickiness to cash was also examined as a moderator on the investigated relationships. Design/methodology/approach Online survey questionnaires were used to collect the responses from 400 elderly consumers at the age of 60 and above. Data analysis was then performed using the SPSS and AMOS statistical software packages. Findings Findings obtained acknowledged the significance of functional (i.e. perceived complexity, perceived incompatibility and perceived cost), psychological (i.e. lack of trust, inertia, and technological anxiety) and risk (i.e. privacy risk, security risk, financial risk and operational risk) barriers in influencing resistance towards mobile payment services among the elderlies. Consequently, resistance would influence their attitude and non-adoption intention;with attitude as the mediator between resistance and non-adoption intention. Finally, moderation analysis also confirmed the moderating effect of stickiness to cash towards elevating the correlation between resistance and non-adoption intention. Originality/value This study is one of the very few studies that explored the minimally investigated territory on the consequential importance of mobile payment usage among the elderlies, specifically, through extending the literature on the impact of functional, psychological and risk barriers towards the individuals' resistance. Besides, this study also successfully contributed to existing body of knowledge by highlighting the mediating role of attitude and moderating role of stickiness to cash in the interrelationships between resistance, attitude and non-adoption intention.