Mid Sweden University

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the relationship between a set of functional and social–psychological barriers and bank customers’ intention to fully adopt digital payment methods (DPMs). Design/methodology/approach: The data were collected via an online questionnaire sent to two samples of Swedish bank customers, namely, adopters-accepters (i.e. young bank customers) and adopters-resisters (i.e. a group opposing a cashless society). Hypotheses were tested by applying an ordinal regression model. Findings: Regarding the adopters-accepters, privacy and access barriers can be obstacles to the full adoption of DPMs. The adopters-resisters perceived all five studied barriers as significant, though only the impersonalisation barrier seemed to matter when the barriers were related to their intention to fully adopt DPMs. Moreover, the results suggest that barriers have a stronger negative effect on the intention to fully adopt among those with extensive experience of DPMs. Practical implications: Based on the barriers affecting the intention of particular groups of bank customers to adopt DPMs, banks could implement customised measures to promote the ongoing development of digital financial services. Originality/value: In this under-researched area, this study provides empirical knowledge of the influence of various barriers on the intention of bank customers characterised as adopters-accepters and adopters-resisters to fully adopt DPMs. 

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the relationships between barrier-breakers and customers’ intention to fully adopt digital payment methods (DPMs). Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were analyzed using statistical methods focusing on hypothesis testing with an ordinal regression model and moderation analysis using the PROCESS macro extension. Participants were divided into two groups of customers in Sweden: adopters-accepters, i.e. young bank customers and adopters-resisters, i.e. members of a formally organized group opposed to a cashless society. Findings: The findings revealed that only the credibility barrier-breaker could increase the adopters-accepters’ intention to fully adopt DPMs. Credibility also seemed to be an important barrier-breaker for the adopters-resisters, as were perceived usefulness and social influence. Additional analyses showed that the impersonalization barrier reduces the impact of the barrier-breakers on DPM adoption. Practical implications: Retail banks and merchants can use these results as a guide to what barrier-breakers might affect various customers’ intention to fully adopt DPMs, and to act accordingly. The impersonalization barrier also merits attention when creating an emotional connection to customers who use DPMs. Originality/value: This study provides empirically based knowledge of the influence of barrier-breakers on the intention of customers, categorized as adopters-accepters and adopters-resisters, to fully adopt DPMs, and highlights the importance of maintaining a human touch in the post-COVID-19 digital era. 

The purpose of this study is twofold: to examine the mediating effect of a number of barrier-breakers on the relationship between barriers and the intention to fully adopt digital payment methods; and to identify adopters-resisters' commenting behaviour when facing a full-adoption scenario. Mixed methods were applied. The PROCESS macro method was used to analyse 388 survey responses and test the mediating effects. The main study reveals that the privacy, security, and access barriers can be reduced by increasing the credibility and usefulness barrier-breakers, respectively. However, the impersonalisation barrier is found to be unaffected by the social influence barrier-breaker. Based on 91 collected and analysed comments, the netnographic-based follow-up study identifies social media commenting behaviours caused by a major bank's decision to stop handling cash. Among the more frequent such behaviours are boycotting and aggressive comments.