Perceived usefulness, ease of use and electronic supermarket use

Information Technology has permeated many facets of work life in industrialized nations. With the expansion of Internet access we are now witnessing an expansion of the use of information technology in the form of electronic commerce. This current study tests the applicability of one prominent information technology uptake model, the Technology Acceptance Model (Int. J. Man Mach. Stud. 38 (1993) 475), within an electronic commerce setting. Specifically, the relationship between the perceived ease of use, usefulness and three electronically recorded indicators of use were assessed within the context of an electronic supermarket. A total of 247 participants completed the attitudinal measures. Electronically recorded indicators of use in the form of deliveries, purchase value and number of log-ons to the system were also recorded for the month the participants completed the questionnaire and 6 further months. Results indicated that the Technology Acceptance Model could be successfully applied to an electronic supermarket setting, providing empirical support for the ability of the Technology Acceptance Model to predict actual behaviour. The Technology Acceptance Model explained up to 15% of the variance in the behavioural indicators through perceived ease of use and usefulness of the system. However, the perceived ease of use of the system did not uniquely contribute to the prediction of behaviour when usefulnes's was considered, indicating a mediation effect. Future research should now focus on product and service attributes to more fully explain the use of electronic commerce services.