{"title":"Bridging the digital divide: Consumer engagement with transportation payment apps in emerging economies","authors":"Temitope Farinloye, Oluwatobi Omotoye, Adeyemi Oginni, Moayad Moharrak, Emmanuel Mogaji","doi":"10.1002/cb.2388","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>The digital divide remains a formidable challenge in emerging economies, highlighting disparities in technology access and utilisation. This study explores consumer engagement with mobile payment applications for transportation in Lagos, Nigeria, a critical context where these disparities manifest. The research presents consumer perceptions and behaviours using a triangulated approach encompassing ethnographic observation, semi-structured interviews, and the ALARA model of information search. Anchored in the Engel–Kollat–Blackwell (EKB) theory of consumer behaviour, which depicts the five stages of consumer decision-making—problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase behaviour—this study identifies five key themes: awareness, information search, alternatives evaluation, engagement, and post-engagement evaluation. Insights from the study reveal that cultural preferences and trust in traditional payment methods significantly influence users' willingness to adopt mobile payment apps. These insights underscore the importance of addressing socio-cultural factors in technology adoption strategies. The findings highlight the need for an inclusive technological strategy to bridge the digital divide, emphasising the necessity of accessible information channels and user-friendly interfaces to enhance consumer engagement. Continuous app refinement based on user feedback is crucial for optimising usability. Additionally, a nuanced understanding of socio-cultural influences on technology adoption is essential for informing policy and business strategies. Overall, this study contributes to understanding technology adoption in emerging economies and provides actionable insights to foster inclusive digital transformations and mitigate the digital divide.</p>","PeriodicalId":48047,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Behaviour","volume":"23 6","pages":"3011-3029"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cb.2388","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Consumer Behaviour","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cb.2388","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The digital divide remains a formidable challenge in emerging economies, highlighting disparities in technology access and utilisation. This study explores consumer engagement with mobile payment applications for transportation in Lagos, Nigeria, a critical context where these disparities manifest. The research presents consumer perceptions and behaviours using a triangulated approach encompassing ethnographic observation, semi-structured interviews, and the ALARA model of information search. Anchored in the Engel–Kollat–Blackwell (EKB) theory of consumer behaviour, which depicts the five stages of consumer decision-making—problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase behaviour—this study identifies five key themes: awareness, information search, alternatives evaluation, engagement, and post-engagement evaluation. Insights from the study reveal that cultural preferences and trust in traditional payment methods significantly influence users' willingness to adopt mobile payment apps. These insights underscore the importance of addressing socio-cultural factors in technology adoption strategies. The findings highlight the need for an inclusive technological strategy to bridge the digital divide, emphasising the necessity of accessible information channels and user-friendly interfaces to enhance consumer engagement. Continuous app refinement based on user feedback is crucial for optimising usability. Additionally, a nuanced understanding of socio-cultural influences on technology adoption is essential for informing policy and business strategies. Overall, this study contributes to understanding technology adoption in emerging economies and provides actionable insights to foster inclusive digital transformations and mitigate the digital divide.
数字鸿沟仍然是新兴经济体面临的一项严峻挑战,凸显了技术获取和利用方面的差距。本研究探讨了尼日利亚拉各斯消费者对交通移动支付应用的使用情况,这些差距正是在这一关键背景下显现出来的。研究采用人种学观察、半结构式访谈和 ALARA 信息搜索模型等三角测量方法,介绍了消费者的看法和行为。恩格尔-科拉特-布莱克韦尔(EKB)消费者行为理论描述了消费者决策的五个阶段--问题认知、信息搜索、替代品评估、购买决策和购买后行为,本研究以该理论为基础,确定了五个关键主题:认知、信息搜索、替代品评估、参与和参与后评估。研究结果表明,文化偏好和对传统支付方式的信任在很大程度上影响着用户采用移动支付应用程序的意愿。这些见解强调了在技术采用战略中解决社会文化因素的重要性。研究结果突出表明,需要采取包容性的技术战略来弥合数字鸿沟,同时强调必须有便捷的信息渠道和用户友好的界面,以提高消费者的参与度。根据用户反馈不断改进应用程序对于优化可用性至关重要。此外,细致入微地了解社会文化对技术应用的影响对于制定政策和商业战略至关重要。总之,本研究有助于了解新兴经济体的技术采用情况,并为促进包容性数字转型和缩小数字鸿沟提供可行的见解。
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Consumer Behaviour aims to promote the understanding of consumer behaviour, consumer research and consumption through the publication of double-blind peer-reviewed, top quality theoretical and empirical research. An international academic journal with a foundation in the social sciences, the JCB has a diverse and multidisciplinary outlook which seeks to showcase innovative, alternative and contested representations of consumer behaviour alongside the latest developments in established traditions of consumer research.