Consumer Buyer Behaviour: The Role of Internet Banking in Mauritius

Abstract

The present paper reports on key findings from a study of the Mauritian banking sector of the influence of internet banking. It also explores the expectations of users of internet banking services offered by local banks in Mauritius and issues influencing the adoption of internet banking. Two semi-structured in-depth interviews were held with two top executives, and a survey-questionnaire using a representative sample of 300 participants from round the island. This exercise was carried out on Saturday mornings over a period of 7 weeks. Saturday mornings were chosen as it is the day of high utilization of ATMs in all urban and rural areas, and when most offices are closed in Mauritius. Of all the questionnaires, collected, 240 were usable and were compiled and grouped in categories. The key findings were: confidentiality and security when transacting online, convenience and accessibility for doing banking on a round – the – clock, ease of navigation of banks’ website to complete the transactions, factors that constitute barriers to its adoption, the high cost of internet communications and computer equipment, the accessibility and downtime of the internet which act as hurdles for Internet Banking acceptance and limitations of the study is discussed.