Introduction

In the new digital age, the cellphone has become a crucial transaction point for online retailers, constituting 7% of total e-commerce sales.  New convenient apps and shopping environments provide mobile users the flexibility to buy through their phones, and this is set to continue to expand in the near future.  Retailers, travel apps and other non-traditional ecommerce companies now accept payment via app, but is enough being done to ensure the convenience and user satisfaction of this process is being improved?

What was Studied?

In “Consumer technology traits in determining mobile shopping adoption:  An application of the extended theory of planned behavior” – researches look at the key characteristics of the online shopping environments to determine which ones drive the most significant value in terms of consumer adoption.  The researchers look at three key factors of shopping environments: technology self-efficacy (how much control is given to the user?), level of experience of use (how much experience do I need to perform well in the environment?), and consumer technology innovativeness (how savvy is it at making easy complex tasks?) through factor analysis to understand – which of these key characteristics drove adoption and consumer satisfaction.

Approach & Results

The method used in the analysis was a factor analysis of a Theory of Planned Behavior Model.  The model took measures of each of the three factors (from a 1 to 7 scale based on previous academic literature) to calculate the extent of which a given technology or platform would be used / adopted by an end user.    The data was then compiled to understand how each of the three key factors explain the adaptation curve.

Per the study, self-efficacy followed by innovativeness proved to be the main contributors of adoption – with customer experience having the least significant and impactful relationship.  Much of this is likely due to the expectations of the mobile shopper.  Convenience and expediency seem to be highly desired traits of mobile shopping platforms as it is probably being done on the go, on a small screen, with limited functionality and ease of use.

Implications & Conclusion

When considering the possible implications of this research, clearly, providing users with the ability to do what they intend to do via your platform is crucial.  This means aligning the technology and the environment so that expectations are in line with actual functionality.  Furthermore, focusing on ease of use, simplicity and speediness, without sacrificing productivity will also enhance the overall user experience and interest in the shopping platform.   To conclude, robust verification and regular examination of shopping platforms will bring about significant innovation and spur on future growth in mobile sales as the users, providers and platforms that connect them become more sophisticated and adept at making a deal.

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Reference: Yang, Kiseol. (2012) ” Consumer technology traits in determining mobile shopping adoption: An application of the extended theory of planned behavior,” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Volume 19, Issue 5, September 2012, Pages 484–491.