Purpose This study aims to investigate the applicability of technology acceptance model in explaining technology adoption among street vendors in Thailand as a representation of emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach A pen-and-pencil survey was administered to 370 street vendors in Bangkok; 356 usable surveys were analyzed for a completed rate of 96.2 per cent. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings This study contributes to the existing technology acceptance literature as follows: First, the predictive power of the technology acceptance model is strong and holds true for street vendors. Second, it revealed that the relationship of entrepreneurial orientation and technology adoption is completely connected through the decision-making process (i.e. trust and system characteristics, otherwise known as usefulness and ease of use). Finally, the degree of product differentiation strengthens the positive relationship between perceived usefulness and the intention to use mobile commerce. Originality/value This study advances the previous research on e-commerce adoption in settings outside the formal sector. More specifically, this study developed and validated the extended technology acceptance model in the smallest-scale of entrepreneurs, street vendors, to increase the understanding of the adoption of m-commerce.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of trust and perceived enjoyment in the technology acceptance model by distinguishing distinct stages of adoption among street vendors (initial and advanced adoption stage). Design/methodology/approach Face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire were conducted with 430 street vendors in Bangkok; 415 usable surveys were analyzed. By applying K-means cluster analysis, two segments were found with 200 initial and 215 advanced adopters. A multi-group analysis was employed to investigate differences of relationships between the two groups. Findings The findings reveal significant similarities and dissimilarities between the two groups of vendors. Both initial and advanced adopters emphasize trust of service providers. The first group relies more on perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment in motivating m-commerce adoption but depends less on perceived usefulness. On the contrary, for the latter group, the influence of perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment significantly decreases, but the effect of perceived usefulness significantly increases. Practical implications This study sheds light on the managerial implications related to how service providers can tailor their marketing strategies to target vendors in disparate diffusion stages, and it encourages building trust between partners over time. Originality/value Due to the lack of theoretical and managerial understanding of factors that drive m-commerce adoption for micro businesses, this study identifies distinct adoption stages and offers valuable insights into the similarities and differences among initial and advanced adopters.

Purpose As technology has increasingly disrupted traditional commerce, there is a need for inclusive growth to ensure that no group – particularly the underprivileged – is left behind. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to shed light on mobile commerce (m-commerce) adoption among street vendors. This study conducts an experiment to investigate the contribution of online reviews and relevant factors in enhancing the perceived usefulness and adoption of m-commerce. Design/methodology/approach This study used a 2 (perceived ease of use: high vs low) × 2 (trust in service provider: high vs low) × 2 (online review: positive vs negative) between-subjects design, resulting in eight experimental groups. The level of the online review was manipulated, and the degrees of perceived ease of use and trust were measured. Findings Perceived usefulness depends on online reviews when users perceive incongruent information (e.g. high ease of use but low trust); that is, users who saw positive reviews more strongly perceived the usefulness of m-commerce. On the contrary, perceived usefulness does not vary based on online reviews if users perceive congruent information (e.g. high ease of use and high trust). Originality/value This research advances the knowledge of m-commerce adoption by exploring the interaction of perceived ease of use, trust and online reviews, a combination that has not been addressed in previous empirical studies.