Customer behaviour towards internet banking: a study of the dormant users of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Technology acceptance, especially internet banking acceptance has become a vital issue in the business world today. A number of studies agree on the importance of customer adoption and full utilization of internet banking services as the key factors for banks to achieve the benefits from launching this channel (eg. Guriting & Ndubisi, 2006; Nor, 2005; Yousafzai, 2005; Mols et al., 1999). They also highlight the crucial role of the comprehensive understanding of the factors and their interactions with each other that influence customers in accepting and using internet banking services. A review of literature related to internet banking indicates that while there are numerous studies that have tried to identify the factors affecting non-adopters and/or users of internet banking there is no single study, specifically in Saudi Arabia, that sheds light on the factors affecting dormant users of internet banking. Hence, the present study provides additional insights into this issue. 

The study adds to the body of knowledge in the technology acceptance field by developing a comprehensive model for internet banking acceptance. The model extended the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to include additional components, namely task-technology fit (TTF), perceived trust and perceived risk. 

The subjects for this study were Saudi bank customers who are dormant users of internet banking services. One thousand copies of the questionnaire were distributed in five Saudi cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Abhah and Buraydah. A total of 430 completed questionnaires were received, giving a response rate of 43% of the original sample. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was the statistical technique employed in this study. The main results of this study suggest that two factors, namely perceived usefulness and service visibility directly influence Saudi customers’ intention to use internet banking. Perceived ease of use is indirectly significant on the behavioral intentions through perceived usefulness. Moreover, perceived trust, system reliability and accessibility significantly influence perceived ease of use of internet banking. The results also reveal that customer trust in internet banking can be developed by focusing on only one theoretical construct of trust, perceived bank trustworthiness of the internet banking provider. Based on the findings, implications for internet banking practice and related future research have been identified.