Investigating and predicting intentions to continue using mobile payment platforms after the COVID-19 pandemic: An empirical study among retailers in India

The Indian retail industry has registered tremendous growth recently. The sudden emergence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the related measures that were taken by the authorities to curb the pandemic have compelled retailers and their consumers to transact using digital platforms. This study investigates the critical precursors to retailers' behavioral intention to use mobile platforms for their business transactions in the post-pandemic era. This study adopted a framework that combined the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and self-determination theory (SDT) to predict behavioral intentions. A hybrid approach combining partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) techniques was used to test and validate the proposed framework. Four hundred and ninety-six participants from different central Indian cities participated in the study. PLS-SEM results confirmed that the motivational factors (need satisfaction [NS] and need frustration [NF]) significantly influence the attitude (AT), subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), and behavioral intention (BI). Furthermore, the findings also established the partial mediating effect of AT, SN, and PBC on the relationship between motivational construct (NS and NF) and BI. Finally, the relationship established by SEM was successfully validated by ANN in the existence of a nonlinear relationship in the data. The findings may help retail stakeholders to support retail owners in their pursuit to continue using mobile payment systems in the post-COVID-19 world.