The moderation effect of multifunctionality between consumers’ shopping experience and embarrassment leading to non-adoption of innovations

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research analyses embarrassment as a barrier to the adoption of new technologies. It evaluates how the level of multifunctionality in technologies moderates the shopping experience of consumers in the technological environment (prior experience with the technology and their social exposure in the consumption environment), leading to feelings of embarrassment and impacting adoption intention. Four experiments were developed to assess the effects of the antecedents cited (multifunctionality and shopping experience) on embarrassment and adoption of new technologies. The results indicate that embarrassment can be generated according to the composition of the consumer’s profile – for example, low levels of prior experience with the technology and high social exposure to technological innovation usage. This research also identifies the extent to which embarrassment directly reduces the intention to adopt new technologies and acts as a psychological barrier in the consumption process. Therefore, even if a product is new, exciting, and fun, and has high market potential, if the shopping experience (impacted by prior experience or social exposure) when moderated by the multifunctionality generates embarrassment, the individual will avoid consumption of the product.