M-WALLETS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON USAGE INTENTION OF RURAL AND URBAN CITIZENS

Abstract

‘Digital India’ initiative by the Government, rise in smartphone users, availability of cheaper internet and many such factors have led to a significant rise in m-wallet adoption across the country. However, a majority of the Indian population resides in villages and small towns, and while, the urban citizens tend to be more open towards adoption of new technology such as m-wallet, the behaviour of rural segment is yet to be explored. The current study identified factors that affect the m-wallet adoption among rural as well as urban segments and analysed the differences in adoption factors while comparing the usage intention of consumers in rural and urban areas. Data was collected from 104 respondents from both rural and urban areas using a structured questionnaire. Results showed that rural customers were conservative towards new technology adoption. In line with the prior research, the study found, perceived ease of use (PEOU), Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Risk (PR) to be highly significant in influencing the m-wallet adoption for both rural and urban customers. The results indicate that along with imparting awareness and digital literacy, usage assistance must be provided to rural customers to promote faster m-wallet adoption.