Abstract
Purpose – To evaluate how different consumer profiles react to the adoption of new technologies through the replication and validation of the TAP scale in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – We designed a descriptive study of a quantitative nature applied through a survey. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis procedures were performed in order to validate the scale. We used t tests to check for statistical differences between consumer profiles. Findings – The TAP scale proved to be a valid and reliable instrument to measure technology adoption propensity among Brazilian consumers. In this group, those in a higher domain of computational innovation showed greater proficiency in the technology adoption process. In a comparison of the data from our study with those of the original one in the USA, Brazilians presented a higher propensity for technology adoption. Originality/value – The study provided advancements in three ways: 1) validating the TAP scale for Brazilian usage; 2) bringing insights to research on innovation in specific domains; 3) contributing to the studies about potential differences between developed and emergent countries related to new technology adoption and late acceptance of innovation.
Highlights
The increasing influence of technology in the current societal context has affected the way individuals interact with each other, and the interactions occurring between companies and their consumers (Parasuraman & Colby, 2002)
Several studies have been developed based on this theory, producing three models that aim to understand the relationship between individuals and technology, namely the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model), the TRI (Technology Readiness Index) scales, and the TAP (Technology Adoption Propensity) scale, proposed by Ratchford and Barnhart (2012), which analyzes factors that encourage and factors that inhibit the adoption of new technologies, and is the central object of this study
The dependence dimension is directly tied to user engagement and to the inhibiting factors. This engagement is a psychologically subjective state, which reflects the importance and relevance given by the individual to a certain object or event (Amoako-Gyampah, 2007). This dimension was incorporated into the TAP scale by virtue of the findings presented by Mick and Fournier (1998)
Summary
The increasing influence of technology in the current societal context has affected the way individuals interact with each other, and the interactions occurring between companies and their consumers (Parasuraman & Colby, 2002). According to Mick and Fournier (2014), the effect of this massification of technology may be better understood by analyzing the increasing number of technological innovations, and the increasing exposure to technology experienced by individuals, whether intentionally or unintentionally This invasion of technology in our daily routine has aroused the interest of an increasing number of researchers from several fields, including the applied social sciences field. Such researchers seek to understand how these interactions occur among individuals, companies, and technology (Lippert & Volkmar, 2007), minimizing the effects of competitors and adding value to the consumer. Several studies have been developed based on this theory, producing three models that aim to understand the relationship between individuals (consumers) and technology, namely the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model), the TRI (Technology Readiness Index) scales, and the TAP (Technology Adoption Propensity) scale, proposed by Ratchford and Barnhart (2012), which analyzes factors that encourage (optimism and proficiency) and factors that inhibit (dependence and vulnerability) the adoption of new technologies, and is the central object of this study
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