Customer experience in online financial services : A study of behavioral intentions for techno‐ready market segments

Purpose – Drawing upon research in consumer behavior, the purpose of this paper is to deploy an alternative way to predict behavioral intention with customer technology beliefs and experience in e‐brokerage services. Design/methodology/approach – This study tests the proposed framework and relevant hypotheses with survey responses collected from 258 online investors. Findings – Technology‐ready (TR) customer segments vary in their evaluations of customer‐service interfaces; interface evaluations affect cognitive service experience; and interface evaluations and cognitive experience affect customers' behavioral intentions. Research limitations/implications – This study indicates that flow experience emerges as an important factor for achieving sustainable competitive advantages in e‐brokerage services. The research findings and relevant hypotheses might not apply to low‐credence services. Practical implications – The findings indicate that service designers need to examine the life cycle of the intended service offerings and customize corresponding service/product features based on customers' technology beliefs and personal characteristics, which can further lead to maximized flow experience and increased intention rate. Originality/value – The paper is among the first attempts to examine how psychographic features affect customers' experience and valuation of certain service system interfaces from service design perspective.