Reducing COVID-19 Infection Risks in Retail Stores through Mobile Payments: Investigating the Determinants of In-Store Proximity M-Payment Usage

During the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the relevance of proximity mobile payment (m-payment) applications (e. g., Apple Pay and Google Pay) has increased due to their ability to let consumers shop inside physical stores and pay for products without having to make physical contact with a store employee or touch a card-reader terminal. Despite the growing usage of mobile applications for a number of everyday tasks, in recent years, the diffusion of in-store proximity m-payment in many countries is still low, and the actual usage is sparse. To understand which factors can motivate consumers to use proximity m-payment services in retail stores, this study combines the individual disposition to adopt and use in-store m-payment technologies with system-based evaluations. By applying a conceptual model to a representative sample (N = 3,250) of grocery store shoppers, the results provide evidence of a general effect of technology readiness on consumers’ behavioural intention to use in-store m-payment.