Digital Technology Adoption and its Usage Among Unorganized Retailers

Abstract

This study is focused on the determinants of digital technology adoption intention and usage Behavior among the unorganized retailers in Tamil Nadu, India. In technology acceptance among the users, there are some old theories: TOE& TAM and it measures the adoption intention among individuals and organizations. Further, some other studies concentrated on measuring the adoption intention and usage Behavior among the Indian merchants by using TAM and TOE theories. Further, the Indian retail market is predominantly dominated by unorganized retailers. Although unorganized retailers dominate the Indian retail market, studies related to unorganized retailers ‘technology adoption is relatively low. To address this research gap, this study applied TAM and TOE theories, analyses various determinants that influence the embracement of digital technologies among unorganized retailers. We conducted a comprehensive literature survey and proposed aninclusive research model in this research. In addition, it was developed based on TOE and TAM theories. The research model consists of six independent constructs: Awareness, Self-Efficacy, Ease-of-Use, Usefulness, Competitive pressure, Government Policy, and two dependent constructs, namely Behavioral Intention & Usage Behavior. Further, a questionnaire was developed, and it was tested with a sample size of 216 respondents across various districts from Tamil Nadu. The Partial Least Square method results show that usefulness has appositive influence on ease of use. Self-efficacy &awareness has a significant influence on Behavioral intention. Inevitably, user Behavior was substantially influenced by Behavioral intention. This proposed research and research model has significant implications for the researchers. Further, this research suggested to the marketers to develop more technologies that facilitate marketing the products of the unorganized retailers. Finally, this research suggested that for the unorganized retailer's payment platforms, aggregators and digital marketing applications should develop more technologies that facilitate them to manage their inventory, vendor management and assist them to build a brand image among their consumers.