Flip that coin: Barriers, barrier-breakers, and full-adoption of digital payment methods

Abstract

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.