Sustaining smartphone-based payment services among youth: Extending ECM with habit and pre-adoption expectancies

Abstract

Smartphone-based payment services (SBPS) are gaining incredible popularity among the Indian youth due to their tech-savvy behaviour and desire for ease and convenience. The intention to continue using SBPS by youngsters will have a long-lasting effect on India’s vision to become a cashless society in the long run. This study analyzes the youngsters’ intention to continue using SBPS by employing a model that extends the expectation-confirmation model (ECM) with habit and pre-adoption expectancies. The primary data were collected from 901 young SBPS users selected through the judgement sampling technique and analyzed using the PLS-SEM technique. The outcome indicates that SBPS continuance intention is largely associated with satisfaction and usage habits. The confirmation of pre-adoption expectancies inculcates the habit of using SBPS and leads to satisfaction among the users. When initial expectations are confirmed, the usage experience leads to the habit of using SBPS, which, sequentially, affects the youngsters’ continuance intention to use SBPS both directly and indirectly through satisfaction. The study enhances the current body of knowledge by adding the usage habits and pre-adoption expectancies into the ECM framework and offers practical insights for payment service providers and regulators to promote the sustained use of SBPS among young users.