A Generation Comparison of Mobile Payment Acceptance Factors: an Empirical Investigation

Many unsuccessful initiatives for establishing technological solutions of mobile payment (m-payment) services in stationary trade have been detected in the past few years. Therefore, following research deals with possible explanations for insufficient diffusion. A lack of research was analyzed by investigating the moderating effect of being a Digital Native (DN) or Digital Immigrant (DI) regarding technological factors influencing the attitude towards using m-payment systems. Our findings deepen the understanding of consumers’ needs and personal characteristics in the adoption of m-payment technology. The theoretical basis is built on a modified TAM and Prensky’s (2001) cultural generation concept. Hence, the technical field of m-payment is connected to a theory of identity. The study results displayed a greater degree of technological affinity concerning all factors examined in the group of DNs. By using a moderated regression analysis, we verified the negative influence of perceived security and risk having a significantly stronger effect on the attitude of DIs. Additionally, further results confirm the enormous importance of security in innovative payment processes. The results reinforce the importance of a target group-specific communication of an easy and secure payment-transaction to DIs. Furthermore, divergence of former research could be explained through the results of our cultural approach.