Understanding Portuguese Young Consumers’ Intention to use Mobile Commerce

Abstract

In the last decade, e-commerce became popular all over the world. The recent widespread of smartphones transformed a significant part of e-commerce in mobile commerce. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to find out which factors affect consumers intention of using m-commerce through the exploration of a conceptual model to analyze customers’ perceptions of using mobile commerce services for online shopping. This paper aims at anticipating consumer behavior, and providing implications for designers, managers, marketers, and operators related to mobile commerce (m-commerce).

In order to test a conceptual model, an empirical investigation with a sample of 183 young Portuguese participants was carried out. It was used a structural equation model (SEM) in order to test the relationships of the model. The results reveal that anxiety, which is an affective obstacle against using new technology, is a key negative predictor of a customer’s intentions to use mobile devices for e-commerce. . Additionally, enjoyment, usefulness, and compatibility have an impact on a customer’s behavioral intentions. Also, the consumer’s self-awareness of his/her mobile skillfulness affects anxiety, enjoyment, and usefulness and compatibility.

The outcomes of this study help to understand what prevents or encourages the use intention of m-commerce. The results not only help develop a better understanding of mobile commerce theories for researchers, but they also offer viable knowledge to those involved in promoting m-commerce to potential purchasers.