The moderating role of individual and social factors in Internet banking loyalty: an exploratory study

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers; the mediating role of usability; and the moderating effects of subjective norms, personal innovativeness, self-efficacy and perceived image on users’ attitudes toward loyalty to Internet banking (IB) in Iran. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the consumer data collected from a survey, structural equations modeling and path analysis were used to test the research model. Findings – The results revealed that “low perceived usefulness” and “low perceived ease of use” both had negative effects on users’ attitudes. “Low awareness” and “low system compatibility” were found to be the main factors impeding users’ attitudes toward loyalty to IB. “Perceived usefulness” showed no mediating role in the relationship between ease of use and users’ attitudes. At last, all concerned moderators moderated the relationships between ease of use/usefulness and users’ attitudes. Research limitation/implication – The sample was only composed of IB users of one Iranian bank, and non-users were not studied. Originality/value – Past studies have seldom examined the role of individual drivers such as personal innovativeness and self-efficacy and social drivers such as subjective norms and perceived image as moderating variables in the context of developing countries.