Investigating antecedents of technology acceptance of initial eCRM users beyond generation X and the role of self-construal

Abstract

eCRM (electronic Customer Relationship Management) systems focus on using the web-site as the main interaction channel for businesses to simulate an old fashioned one-to-one direct relationship--high touch--with customers. In this research two distinct but related concepts, media richness from the Human Computer Interaction and Computer Mediated Communication fields and perceived interactivity from the Marketing and MIS fields, are disentangled and their unique impacts on technology acceptance variables are examined in the eCRM Acceptance Model. The present study contributes in extending the Technology Acceptance Model for the eCRM context and in establishing media richness and perceived interactivity as antecedents to perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Our research model integrates system perception (e.g., perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) and subjective outcome measures (e.g., decision satisfaction) in a single model to fully understand the impact of eCRM "touch" design perceived by e-customers on their intention to return after the initial visit. An experimental survey of two culture groups (independent vs. interdependent self-construal) of technology savvy, young college students reveals that culture value-orientation (e.g., self-construal) moderates the effect of decision satisfaction on behavior intention to return in our eCRM Acceptance model. Findings of this research thus have significant theoretical and managerial implications.