Intention does not always Matter: The Contingent Role of Habit in IT Usage Behaviour

The ability to predict IT usage behavior has been an important area of inquiry in IS research for many years. Yet, to date, the predominant approach has been on the conscious cognitive aspect of this behavior. Consequently, the primary focus has been on the formation of intentions and its impact on the subsequent behavior of IT usage almost to the exclusion of other factors. The purpose of this study is to highlight an alternative viewpoint that suggests the equally important role of the automatic response known as habit. Applying theories of human behavior, we developed a model that shows the impact of both intentions and habit on IT usage. More importantly, we demonstrate that the influence of intention on usage will vary depending on the level of one’s habit. This finding implies that there can be situations where intention will, in fact, have no impact on behavior and that further research is needed to understand these conditions and the factors that lead to such situations.