Consumer Adoption in Technological Context: Conceptualization, Scale Development& Validation

Palima  Pandey; Alok  Kumar Rai

Palima Pandey Research Scholar, Institute of Management Studies, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Alok Kumar Rai Professor, Institute of Management Studies, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

Keywords: Consumer Adoption, Technology Adoption Scale, Conceptualization,, Operationalization

Abstract

Consumer adoption is a rich concept, which is far beyond merely the purchase of a product. The literature presents different psychological as well as behavioral components of adoption however, there has been found a lack of integration between them, and the consensus is yet to emerge regarding the concrete blend of its constituents. The study dealt with the conceptualization of the term ‘consumer adoption’ in a technological context. The construct was operationalized and consequently, an empirically tested comprehensive scale of ‘technology adoption’ was developed. The initial phase of the scale development process comprised of item generation, refinement, pre-testing, and exploratory factor analysis while the advanced stage incorporated confirmatory factor analysis. The scale was validated on the basis of systematic authentication of measurement and structural model. The study resulted in the construction of a nine-item scale of ‘technology adoption’ comprising three factors namely ‘acceptance’, full-scale usage’ and embracement’. Further, the resultant factors served as the basis for the development of an ‘operational definition’ of adoption.