Exploring Croatian consumer adoption of subscription-based e-commerce for business innovation

This paper investigates the impact of four demographic variables and four perceptual drivers identified through a review of the existing literature on adopting subscription-based e-commerce models. Seven hypotheses were tested on a convenience sample of 202 respondents from Croatia. Significant differences in subscription model acceptance were observed across age groups, while education level, employment status, and disposable income showed no significant relation to subscription model adoption in Croatia, although studies in other countries have indicated otherwise. This study also examined four factors (perceived trust, risk, usefulness, and ease of use) described with 21 critical success dimensions. The results showed positive relationships with perceived trust, usefulness, and ease of use and a negative relationship with perceived risk. Enhancing trust, usefulness, and ease of use while reducing perceived risks can boost subscription-based e-commerce adoption. Significant differences in perceived trust, risk, and usefulness were found between users of multiple products/services and non-users but not in perceived ease of use. These findings provide valuable insights for future scientific research on subscription-based models, given their growing popularity in e-commerce and the limited existing research. Additionally, this paper offers practical implications for businesses by enhancing their understanding of customers and the Croatian e-commerce market and by proposing innovative strategies and promotional approaches based on the research outcomes.