Mobile (shopping) commerce intention in central Asia

Abstract

Purpose Although East Asia and South East Asia have seen growth in mobile commerce activities, the uptake of such activities in Central Asia has been relatively low. For insight, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of culture, innovation characteristics and concerns about order fulfillment on mobile commerce (shopping) intention in Central Asia. Design/methodology/approach In total, 779 questionnaires were collected (via mall-intercept method) from cities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The data were then subjected to two-step structural equation modeling procedures (using SPSS AMOS V.25) for hypothesis testing. Findings This study revealed that innovation characteristics, system-based trust (trust in mobile technology), and concerns about order fulfillment affected mobile commerce intention in Central Asia. The strong uncertainty avoidance characteristics of societies in the region mean potential adoptee place great emphasis on trialability and security of mobile commerce. Uncertainty avoidance correlated strongly with concerns about order fulfillment, thereby significantly impacting mobile commerce intention. Power distance and collectivism correlated with observability as factors affecting mobile commerce intention. The innovation characteristics of compatibility, complexity and relative advantage directly impact mobile commerce intention in Central Asia. Research limitations/implications There are several limitations in this paper. First, the data in this study are limited to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. This might affect the generalization of this study’s findings across the whole Central Asia region. Second, the respondents in this study are exposed to mobile shopping for less than 30 min before been asked to complete the survey. This might affect respondent’s confidence in mobile commerce. Future study might involve the rest of Central Asia (Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan). Future study might also want to investigate the impact of Web assurance seal on mobile commerce intention in Central Asia. Practical implications Managerial/marketing implications and recommended strategies in this study would be useful for businesses (aspirant e-vendors) in Central Asia. Originality/value There is limited study about mobile commerce in Central Asia. Furthermore, extant literature on mobile commerce in the region lacked age varieties or lacked multi-national and logistical perspective. This is important given the wide geographical spread of the region. This study addressed these gaps by collecting data from all segments of society in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to test propositions regarding innovation characteristics, culture, and concerns about order fulfillment as factors impacting mobile commerce intention in Central Asia.

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