Springer Science and Business Media LLC

This paper aims to extend the enhanced “unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT)” model with pandemic precautionary measures (PPM) to examine the variables that influence the adoption of “cashless transactions (CLT)” during pandemic periods such as COVID-19. For this purpose, this research polled 363 people from 15 zones of Chennai City, India. Utilizing the responses, the relationship between components was explored using a PLS-SEM approach in two distinct research models to examine the influence of PPM in the enhanced UTAUT. The results indicate that the model with PPM (model 2) exhibited an improvement over the model without PPM (model 1) in the variance explained of behavioural intention from 77.3 to 82%. Further, in model 1, performance expectation is the most potent predictor of individuals’ intentions to use CLT, and in model 2, performance expectations deteriorated slightly in its ability and PPM became the most potent predictor. Furthermore, these findings reveal that the PPM-included enhanced UTAUT has significantly strengthened its ability to explain behavioural intent to adopt CLT. Thus, this research model has the potential to be of great use in investigating the adoption of CLT in any epidemic period.

In 1988 the discussions about a Single European Market (SEM) in life insurance intensified. Because of the impetus the Single European Act (SEA) gave to the construction of the internal market in general, there was a greater emphasis on creating a single market in financial services. Streamlined policy-making processes and the enhancement of compromise and interaction between the Member States accompanied this on increasing and expanding issues. To identify these processes the paper surveys the literature regarding the European treaties, European decision-making procedures, and the use of European interest groups in the formulation of the Third Life Assurance Directive. Fundamentally, the paper argues that through economic and political incentives, there was a more concerted effort in the creation of a SEM in life insurance and that this creates new dynamics for the field of marketing.

The nature of banking activities is based on the relationship with the customer in as much as this activity implies direct contact. In this paper, some fundamental questions for the development of relationship marketing activities within the financial firms will be analysed. In particular, this paper intends to demonstrate that it is possible to divide up the market into different types of consumers according to the customers' perspective on relational benefits. This paper bases itself on the perception and evaluation of relational benefits by the customer: with this objective in mind, an empirical study was carried out in various financial firms. This study contrasted the evaluation given by each customer to the different relational benefits.

This article aims to identify various credit card selection factors in the context of an Asian emerging economy – India. Considering the recent emergence of the three-tier banking system in India, the study proposes to investigate whether there exists an association between credit card selection factors and the type of credit card issuing bank (public, private national or private foreign). The article also seeks to find out whether the income level of the individual determines the type of credit card bank category selection, as prior literature suggests that demographic factors are closely related to credit card selection and usage patterns. The analysis was carried out using a mixed method research design involving thematic analysis of focus group data, factor analysis, PERMAP analysis and multiple correspondence analysis in different phases. Five primary credit card selection factors were identified. A strong correspondence between credit card selection factors, personal income levels and choice of credit card issuing bank was found. Accordingly, credit card selection factors and personal income level were together identified as factors affecting the type of bank selected. The phenomenon of bank category-based stereotyping of brands is emphasized based on the analysis. The implications of this phenomenon with respect to brand identity conception, target segmentation, brand positioning and marketing communication are discussed.

Despite the increased availability and accessibility of the internet, many bank clients continue to queue in the bank. This enigma necessitates research on customers’ perceptions of the quality of internet banking services in relation to customer satisfaction. The study examined the relationship using the process and outcome theory of service quality. A sample of 280 internet banking clients of General and Maritime service firms responded to the survey. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to evaluate the measurement model’s validity and reliability. To assess the importance of the link between the variables, structural equation modelling was used. Statistical research results show that the service quality measures (website quality, functional quality, recovery quality and security quality) are significantly associated with customer satisfaction, with functional quality having the highest impact. With respect to the dimensions, website ease of use has the highest weight among the three dimensions of website quality; reliability has the higher weight between the two dimensions of functional quality; compensation has the highest weight among the three dimensions of recovery quality while informational security has the higher weight between the two dimensions of security quality. The study’s findings will provide valuable information to bank managers and bank industry regulators to monitor internet banking service quality and improve customer satisfaction.

In saturated markets customer retention offers a number of benefits to companies. While these benefits are recognised by financial institutions, many have not fully embraced the concept in practice. This paper focuses on the prediction of crossselling opportunities and attempts to answer the questions of who is likely to buy additional products from the same company, what the next product is likely to be and when the purchase is likely to be made. The analysis is based on a sample of 9,000 customers selected at random from the data warehouse of a large international financial institution. The paper discusses and illustrates the application of survival analysis techniques in this context and makes suggestions for further research in this area.

Considering the rapid growth of Islamic Financial Products (IFPs) worldwide and the limited research on Muslims’ buying behaviour of such products, this research examines the relationship between religiosity, consumer buying attitude and purchase intention towards different categories of IFPs. The findings suggest that buying attitude has full mediation for deposit, credit and capital market products and partial mediation for insurance products on the association between Muslim religiosity and their purchase intention. Interestingly, religiosity influenced positively even for insurance and capital market products. This is in contrast with our hypothesised relationships for capital and insurance products. The study contributes to the literature by enhancing our understanding of the complex mediating religiosity – buying attitude – purchase intention relationships for different categories of IFPs.

The pandemic has brought about a shift in the way people perform contactless payments using mobile apps, with QR codes becoming increasingly popular as customers can pay for goods and services without having to physically handle cash or cards. Drawing on the protection motivation theory (PMT), this research aims to reveal retail merchants’ psychological fears of the COVID-19 virus, potentially carried by banknotes, which impact their decision to use QR-based mobile payment (m-payment) services. Structural equation modeling via SmartPLS was utilized to examine the data acquired from 448 small merchants and test the proposed hypotheses. The findings revealed that perceived severity, response efficacy, and self-efficacy had a positive impact on their continued intention to use m-payments; however, response cost had a negative impact. Furthermore, age, education, and business experience moderated some of the effects of these antecedents on m-payment continuance intention. Through effective awareness campaigns, providers can position m-payment as a worthy alternative to cash, establishing a sense of security and comfort from the disease-based harm that could be caused by the latter. Driven by the new physical distancing norm, a model that explicates one’s fear of microbial infection and contamination transmitted from banknotes is a novel approach to predicting contactless payment adoption. Furthermore, the unique merchant perspective on m-payment adoption contributes to the existing literature that is traditionally centered on the consumer.