From text messages to WhatsApp: cultural effects on m-commerce service adoption in the UK and Russia

Smartphone's and other mobile devices are omnipresent in many people's daily lives. Penetration of mobile devices has caused a significant increase in m-commerce usage, leading to both new opportunities and new challenges for providers. In this cross-cultural study, we investigate Smartphone usage of people from Russia and the UK to identify differences regarding the adoption of 14 prominent m-commerce services. We follow the empirical approach of Harris et al. (2005) and update it with new service items in four main m-commerce categories. Our theoretical foundation rests on the GLOBE study and the UTAUT2 acceptance model. We found that British m-commerce users, compared to Russians, have significantly higher performance expectations for m-commerce services, especially hedonic services. Social surroundings play a minor role in both countries during the decision-making process.