Factors influencing the adoption postponement of mobile payment services in the hospitality sector during a pandemic

ABSTRACT

In the post-COVID-19 era, the hospitality sector may witness a wider use of mobile payment services (MPS) not requiring physical contact. But consumers may postpone adoption of MPS in wait for a more attractive iteration. Given consumers' reluctance to adapt to such services, an investigation into MPS adoption postponement and the factors contributing to it is thus needed. Our research model extends the innovation resistance theory by including two behavioral measures (privacy concerns and visibility) and examining how security concerns moderate the associations between them. We analyzed data from 308 respondents who had previously purchased accommodation and transportation services using MPS, employing structural equation modeling to test the research model. The crucial factors we identified were usage barrier and image barriers, privacy concerns, and visibility. Furthermore, security concerns significantly moderated the association between image barrier and MPS adoption postponement in the hospitality sector. The present study thus has important theoretical and practical implications for hospitality managers, particularly for understanding consumers’ behavior toward MPS use and how to leverage these services accordingly. Finally, we suggest that future researchers may investigate the factors causing the adoption postponement of other technological innovations in this sector. © 2020 The Authors