Understanding Mobile Commerce End-user Adoption: a Triangulation Perspective and Suggestions for an Exploratory Service Evaluation Framework Understanding Mobile Commerce End-user Adoption: a Triangulation Perspective and Suggestions for an Exploratory Service Evaluation Framework

In the literature on mobile commerce service adoption, aggregate diffusion issues or technology issues are usually focused. However, a comparison of the slow adoption of WAP services in Europe with the successful adoption of comparable I-mode services in Japan and technologically simple SMS-based services in Scandinavia, suggests that aggregate and technology-based models are insufficient to explain the mobile commerce adoption process. We suggest that alternative explanations may be found in both the business models at the supply side and in the individual end-users behavior at the demand side of the mobile commerce value chain. Here, we focus on this demand side issue, and consider the adoption requirements of mobile commerce end-users. A triangulation of three perspectives on the mobile commerce end-user is suggested to understand and explain the end-user adoption process. The three perspectives view the end-user as a technology user, a consumer and a network member, respectively. The three perspectives are combined in a common framework. With each perspective comes relevant theories, models and methodologies. To illustrate how the triangulation may be performed, an example is given using the technology acceptance model as the relevant technology user model, the customer life cycle model as the relevant consumer model, and social network analysis as basis for the network member perspective. We also suggest applying the framework to design evaluation guidelines that can be used by service providers, operators and terminal producers to evaluate and predict end-user adoption of mobile