CONSUMER ADOPTION OF MOBILE PAYMENT IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

Abstract

Objective: The rapid stride in mobile payment adoption has transformed the payment practices in the 21st Century. Admittedly, m-payment practice has become more intense due to the surge in usage of internet, mobile devices (smart phones), accelerated further by the spread of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Against such a backdrop, it is the need of the hour to investigate: Why are people starting to use mobile payments more and how will that affect their purchasing habits? The study's intention is to add to what's already been written on electronic banking and mobile banking specifically. The study provides a report on m-banking's development, assesses the potential for its adoption, and identifies potential avenues for expansion in Saudi Arabia. They aid Saudi Arabian banking decision-makers in locating and developing strategies for supplying m-banking services that will help them keep their competitive edge.   Methods: While electronically distributed surveys can reach more people more quickly and for less money, this method also has the potential to introduce bias into the sample by excluding people who don't have access to the internet. In addition, the data acquired from the respondents in many mobile payment and mobile banking studies can enhance selection bias. Researchers used both paper-print and online survey methods to disseminate survey instruments, reducing selection bias and increasing response rates. Other potential sources of common method bias (CMB) include the retrospective nature of the survey, the use of a commonly used scale format for constructs, and the fact that respondents were asked to provide information about both the independent and dependent variables in the same question. As a result, SEM has emerged as the gold standard in the field of theory testing, especially as it pertains to studies of IS/IT adoption. Statistical modelling with structural equation modelling (SEM) was chosen as the advanced inferential analytic technique for this study.   Aim: The present study also aims to identify the perceived risk, trust, self-efficacy, past experience, attitude, anxiety, and customer support associated with the mobile payment. Lastly, this study will be a path-breaking one because of its intended contribution to the policy-makers and to the society at large in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Needless to say, outcome of the study was providing managerial inputs to various mobile payment platforms.   Results: Consumers' intent to utilize mobile banking was strongly correlated with their level of trust and Application of Mobile Banking. In similar way Self-efficacy directly and positively related to the consumer intention towards mobile banking adoption. In the same ways, past experience directly and positively related to the consumer intention towards mobile banking adoption. In the same way, there is a positive and direct relationship between customer intention and the use of mobile banking.  Lack of a causal relationship between attitude and consumer desire to use mobile banking. Perceived risk not directly and positively related to the consumer intention towards mobile banking adoption Anxiety not directly and positively related to the consumer intention towards mobile banking adoption.   Conclusion: This study intends to identify the various drivers of mobile payment adoption by examining how consumers' spending habits have changed in response to the popularity of mobile payment systems and the relationship between various payment mechanisms. The study's primary aim is to establish precisely the point when mobile payments will become the norm can replace debit and credit card transactions. Besides transaction activities, online payment channels are enhancing mobile payment adoption and lead to increase in the online transactions, local penetration further escalating increased transaction activities.