The introduction of the Internet has led to the development of new technologies and applications that have been adopted by organisations and their users to enable them to survive in this age of technology. Online technologies have penetrated Zimbabwe, particularly in the retail industry, however, little research has been done to link the research results to theory particularly the technology adoption theories. Therefore the objective of this study was to explore the current extent of adoption of online transaction platforms in the retail industry in Zimbabwe. Furthermore, this paper purposed to determine the extent of this adoption on the Technology Adoption Curve. The online transaction platforms studied were Internet banking, Automated Teller Machines, Mobile banking, Point of Sale and Mobile money. The study took a mixed method approach where both qualitative and quantitative strategies were used. A three-sample dataset comprising of 268 bank and supermarket customers, 56 bank managers and 31 supermarket managers was used. The resultant adoption rates were plotted on Moore’s Technology Adoption Curve. The results indicated that although the retail industry had made great strides to adopt online technology platforms, but the adoption by customers was relatively low at a market penetration of 14.5%. The study thus concluded that Zimbabwe’s online technologies were in their infancy stage on the maturity model adoption curve and were inside Moore’s chasm on the technology adoption curve. The study recommended to customers to use the adopted online technologies in order to keep abreast with the digital era. On the other hand, banks and supermarkets were urged to devise marketing strategies in an effort to cross the chasm in the Technology Adoption Curve.

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The use of computers and technology has become vital for any organisation to survive in this digital era. The adoption and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in supermarkets has been accepted, particularly, in developed countries. However, there has been little information on the adoption and use of ICTs in supermarkets in Zimbabwe as a whole. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to explore the rate of adoption and use of ICTs in Zimbabwean supermarkets and to measure their impact. The study also sought to suggest measures that supermarkets could take in an effort to overcome the challenges faced in the use of ICTs in grocery shopping in Zimbabwe. The results were interpreted using the Keynesian Theory of Money and they revealed that all supermarkets had adopted Point of Sale (POS) and few of them had adopted mobile money. The majority of the customers however still preferred to transact using cash. The study also showed that the greatest benefits of online transactions were convenience, high customer retention, and increased efficiency whereas the greatest challenges were network connection problems and poor adoption by customers. The study urged customers to adopt and use online ICTs in supermarkets in order to take advantage of their benefits. The study also recommended supermarkets and the government to take heed of the measures suggested by the respondents in order to avert the adverse consequences of the challenges faced in the use of ICTs.

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The retail industry in Zimbabwe has embraced the use of a variety of technologies in order to survive in this ever changing technological era. However, little research has been done on the adoption and use of these technologies and no model has been developed to date. The aim of this paper was to develop a model best suited to the Zimbabwean retail industry in order to enhance the successful adoption and use of online transaction platforms. The online transaction platforms used to develop the model were Internet banking, Automated Teller Machines, Mobile banking and Point of Sale. A three-sample dataset comprising of 268 bank and supermarket customers, 56 bank managers and 31 supermarket managers was used. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the given factors influencing adoption and use of online transaction platforms and the constructs perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The resultant TAMZIM model borrowed ideas from the Technology Acceptance Models proposed by Fred Davis in the mid-80s.