Understanding customer‐specific factors underpinning internet banking adoption

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to deepen our understanding of customers' actual internet banking behaviour by combining the construct of technology readiness with the technology acceptance model and demographics, such as age and gender, into one integrated framework. Design/methodology/approach – The customer‐specific internet banking acceptance model (CSIBAM) is validated through 435 UK internet banking users. Findings – The results indicate the importance of customer‐specific factors in predicting actual behaviour. Technology readiness, age and gender moderate the beliefs‐intention relationship. Customers with varying levels of technology‐related views and demographics hold different beliefs about technology. The relationship between usefulness and behaviour was stronger for younger males with high levels of optimism and innovativeness (explorers and pioneers), whilst the relationship between ease of use and behaviour was stronger for older females with a high level of discomfort (paranoids and laggards). Practical implications – In today's highly competitive financial services market, knowledge of key customer‐specific factors can help banks to enhance customer experience by focusing more on each segment's particular needs. This knowledge would also help managers to decide about the extent to which technology‐based systems can be used, the appropriate type of these systems, the pace of implementation, and the type of customer support required. Originality/value – A distinctive contribution of this study is that it does not rely on self‐reported intention or usage, but instead it employs actual behavioural data. Greater understanding of seemingly established relationships could improve the design of the service and the development of differential marketing strategies aimed at driving adoption and allaying rejection.