Determinants of Users Intention to Adopt Mobile Fitness Applications: an Extended Technology Acceptance Model Approach

The present research was motivated by the recognition that the use of mobile fitness applications (MFA) is increasingly popular among sports and exercise participants in recent years. Using an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) perspective, this study explored potential predictors of behavioral intention toward MFAs such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, personalization, personal innovativeness in information technology (PIIT), perceived enjoyment, mobile application self-efficacy, involvement in sports and exercise participation, and social influences (interpersonal and external influences). A theoretical model was developed and tested against the empirical data collected from 385 collegiate students enrolled in physical activity classes at a large university in the United States. The result of descriptive statistics indicated that the samples are active sports and exercise participants with their weekly exercise and sports participation of 5.41 hours. A measurement model and structural equation model were tested using AMOS 22.0 and confirmed eight out of eleven hypothesized relationships. In particular, personalization and PIIT were found to have significant effects on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, which in turn, affected behavioral intention toward using MFAs. Interpersonal influence and involvement in sports and exercise participation were also found to have significant effects on intention whereas no significant effects of mobile application self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment, and external influence were observed. The analyses demonstrated that perceived usefulness was the most powerful determinants of behavioral intention followed by interpersonal influence in terms of the path coefficient values. The construct of PIIT and personalization accounted for 43.4% variances in perceived ease of use and 48.9% variances in perceived usefulness variance. All the constructs within the structural model except external influence, perceived enjoyment, and mobile application self-efficacy, collectively explained the 75.1 % variances in intention to use MFAs, suggesting that the examined model has a strong explanatory power regarding MFA users decision making process.\u2

Determinants of smartphone shopping adoption: Key factors for online shopping of consumer goods through smartphones in Sweden

The purpose of this thesis was to examine key factors for adoption of online shopping of consumer goods through smartphones in Sweden. Previous research on online shopping and m-commerce was reviewed and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al. 2003) was chosen. Interviews were conducted with 11 online shoppers and 5 industry experts to explore current beliefs and to modify the model to the empirical context. The model with hypotheses was tested with statistical analysis of data obtained by a survey on 303 shoppers in the Malmoe region. The findings suggest that social influence and the location of the shopper have significant positive effects on behavioural intention to shop consumer goods through smartphones. The experience of the shopper was shown to moderate the effects of the determinants. High trustworthiness and performance of smartphone web shops was appreciated, but did not affect intention. A positive relation was found between intention to shop through smartphones and self-reported past smartphone shopping habits. The findings suggest that online retailers should customise their marketing efforts to consumers with different experience levels of smartphone shopping if they wish to increase its adoption. This is one of few studies that investigate the determining factors for online shopping exclusive to smartphones

Drivers of Adoption of Contact Tracing Mobile Applications

Contact Tracing Mobile Apps emerged as a new IT-enabled tool with the potential to slow down infection COVID-19 transfers and thus save lives. However, despite their inherent capability to make a substantial technical contribution to fighting the pandemic, the adoption of CTMAs lags behind expectations. Against this background, our work seeks to produce a systematic and nuanced understanding of hitherto unconsidered yet significant determinants of CTMA adoption. On a more general note, we seek to derive valuable insights that can support decision-makers to accelerate CTMAs\u27 adoption. Based on a large-scale study with 1,027 participants, we present new contextualized determinants that explain individuals’ decision to adopt CTMAs. We also find that early in the process of adopting CTMAs, decision-makers have several levers at their disposal to influence the adoption of CTMAs. In contrast, decision makers\u27 ability to influence individuals\u27 adoption of CTMAs is more limited at later stages of the process

Examining the Adoption, Use and Diffusion of Tablet and Mobile Devices by Older Adults in Hertfordshire County, UK

Ubiquitous or mobile computing is the new trend of this modern era whereby information can be accessed anytime and anywhere. It is anticipated that this form of computing will be more effective than the Internet because of its capability of combining the integral benefits of wireless Internet and interactivity with its own unique characteristics namely, mobility, portability and flexibility. One of the devices that have made this form of computing a reality is the tablet device. It is also a device identified to make a significant impact in encouraging the use of the Internet and ICT generally among the older population. However, there is limited study on the reasons older adults adopt and use tablet devices. Therefore, this research project aims to identify and evaluate the factors that influence the adoption, use and diffusion of tablet devices within the older population (aged 50 and above) in UK. For this purpose, a Framework of Tablet Device Adoption (FTDA), which was based mainly on the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB) with the inclusion of an extra construct Trust, was developed. In particular, the hypothesised constructs included nine variables namely: Compatibility, Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, Trust, Attitude, Subjective Norm, Perceived Behavioural Control, Intention to Use and Actual Use. Furthermore, a quantitative approach for data collection was employed to test the FTDA model. The data collection was conducted in three phases including, content validity, pilot phase and the final phase. Data was collated through an online survey, which produced 203 completed responses for the pilot phase and 1,008 completed responses for the final phase. In addition, to validate the result of the quantitative study, qualitative method in the form of telephone interviews was employed. Result showed that attitude has the strongest effect on the intention to use tablets, while perceived usefulness had the strongest impact on attitude. In addition, the impact of attitude on intention was moderated by age and health status while the impact of perceived behavioural control was moderated by age. Findings also revealed that ailments such as anxiety disorder, vision impairments and learning difficulties impacted on adoption and use. In conclusion, this study contributes to a growing body of knowledge on older adults’ adoption and use of tablet and mobile devices. Specifically, it addresses the gap relating to the adoption, use and diffusion of tablets by older adults in Hertfordshire, UK and identifies significant factors that impact on an older adult’s adoption and use of the tablet device. In addition, it also provides information regarding the generational difference existing within the older population of 50 years and over

Drivers of teachers' intentions to use mobile applications to teach science

Using mobile applications in science education has proven to be effective as it adds multiple benefits including learning gains, motivation to learn, and collaborative learning. However, some teachers are reluctant to use this technology for reasons derived from different factors. Hence, it is important to identify what factors affect teachers' intentions to use mobile applications, in order to take actions aiming to encourage them to use this technology in their classes. Accordingly, this study proposes a model to predict science teachers' intentions to use mobile applications in the teaching process. Our model merges the Technology Acceptance Model, the Flow Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behavior. It includes 11 hypotheses that were tested with 1203 pre-service and in-service science teachers from different cities in Turkey. Additionally, the study investigates the mediating role of attitude and perceived usefulness on teachers' intentions to use mobile apps. Further, it examines the moderating role of the sample type on teachers' behavioral intentions. The results indicate that all 11 hypotheses were significant to explain teachers' intentions to use mobile applications. Finally, the study raises theoretical and practical implications to guide stakeholders to undertake actions to enrich educational settings through the use of mobile applications

The Role of Strong and Weak Ties in the Usage Behaviour of Social Media Apps

Social media apps like TikTok have influenced the daily lives of billions of users. Such apps are forms of network goods and subject to so-called network externalities. They offer a social utility that increases with the number of app users. Regarding its origin, the social utility can be divided into a strong-tie utility (STU) and weak-tie utility (WTU) as it may emerge from strong ties (e.g. close friends) and weak ties (e.g. friends of friends) respectively. To investigate their influence on the usage behaviour more closely, we develop a research model and conduct an online experiment (N=291) for collecting data for seven popular social media apps. The results prove that strong and weak ties can influence users in two ways: providing utility and exerting social pressure. While the level of these effects varies for the tested apps, the utility has a generally greater influence on the intention to use

The acceptance and use of mobile banking apps among millennials in Gauteng, South Africa

Abstract : Mobile banking apps are one of the recent improvements in the mobile banking innovation domain that retail banks are promoting to their customers. Research into mobile banking app user behaviour is important to promoting a rapid acceptance of this banking innovation. Despite this, only limited studies have addressed this issue, particularly from the standpoint of emerging nations such as South Africa. Using the Unified Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT 2) model as its theoretical background, this research analysed the drivers of and barriers to mobile banking app acceptance and use among millennials in Gauteng, South Africa. A survey strategy using a self-administered questionnaire was applied to obtain 352 usable responses from customers of the five major South African retail banks (Capitec, Absa, FNB, Nedbank, and Standard Bank). A partial least squares structural equation modelling technique using SmartPLS version 3 was used to assess the measurement model properties and to test the hypotheses proposed for the study. The findings suggest that performance expectancy a, facilitating conditions are significant drivers of millennials’ behavioural intention to use mobile banking apps. Furthermore, perceived risk was found to be a critical barrier to millennials’ behavioural intention to accept mobile banking apps; but, surprisingly, the impact of perceived risk on the actual use of mobile banking apps was found to be insignificant, thus suggesting that perceived risk is not a deterrent to mobile banking app use among millennials who currently use the innovation. Moreover, the actual use of mobile banking apps was found be strongly and positively associated with behavioural intention and facilitating conditions. The findings of this study contribute to the limited literature that currently exists on mobile banking apps acceptance in emerging countries such as South Africa. In addition, this study validates the UTAUT2 in a different country (South Africa), in a different age group (millennials), and in a different technology domain (mobile banking apps), and thus contributes towards cross-cultural validation of the UTAUT2 beyond its original setting.M.Com. (Marketing Management

Self-service technology: an investigation of the potential for adoption in apparel retail settings

This study investigates the potential for adoption of self-service technologies (SSTs) in the apparel retail environment. The importance of motivation factors (e.g., intrinsic vs. extrinsic) for adopting SSTs in the apparel retail environment is explored as is the moderating effect of familiarity in potential SST adoption. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire completed by undergraduate students at a large southeastern university. A total of 494 usable questionnaires were collected. Respondents were predominantly female (82.6%), and ages ranged from 18 to 57 years, with an average age of 22 years. The majority of participants were Caucasian/White and majoring in a business-related field. Measures were based on the existing literature and assessed using a 7-point Likert-type scale and a 7-point semantic differential scale. Because many apparel retail settings do not currently offer self-service technology, participants were provided a definition of SST and an apparel shopping scenario involving the use of SST prior to completing the survey. Structural equation modeling technique was employed via a LISREL 8.8 to test the hypotheses. Results obtained for the main effect of the conceptual model revealed a χ2 of 1283.14 (df = 339; p 2 / df = 3.79. A χ2 of 115.97 (df = 9; p 2 / df = 12.89 was revealed for the moderating effect. Results indicated that individuals who perceive SSTs to be personally enjoyable are likely to display a favorable attitude toward using SSTs in the apparel retail environment. In contrast, individuals with a general fear of using technology are less likely to exhibit a favorable attitude toward using SSTs. Regarding the extrinsic motivation factors, perceived usefulness was an important element affecting attitudes toward using SSTs. Results further suggested that individuals who believe that using SSTs would be personally enjoyable and would make the shopping task more efficient are likely to use SSTs when shopping for apparel products. Findings also indicate a significant moderating effect of familiarity with using SSTs on the relationship between technology anxiety and attitudes toward using SSTs. In other words, the influence of technology anxiety on attitudes toward using SSTs tend to be weaker in high levels of familiarity toward technology usage than in low levels of familiarity toward technology usage conditions. This study contributes to the growing knowledge base about consumers' shopping behaviors in relation to SSTs, and fills a gap in the literature about the potential for SST use in the apparel retail shopping environment. Findings can aid apparel retailers looking to enhance their service offerings by providing an additional means for customers to purchase merchandise in the store. Future research is needed that applies the model to different populations, different types of SSTs, and relative to different types of apparel retailers