Mobile commerce adoption among the bottom of the pyramid: a case of street vendors in Thailand

Purpose This study aims to investigate the applicability of technology acceptance model in explaining technology adoption among street vendors in Thailand as a representation of emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach A pen-and-pencil survey was administered to 370 street vendors in Bangkok; 356 usable surveys were analyzed for a completed rate of 96.2 per cent. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings This study contributes to the existing technology acceptance literature as follows: First, the predictive power of the technology acceptance model is strong and holds true for street vendors. Second, it revealed that the relationship of entrepreneurial orientation and technology adoption is completely connected through the decision-making process (i.e. trust and system characteristics, otherwise known as usefulness and ease of use). Finally, the degree of product differentiation strengthens the positive relationship between perceived usefulness and the intention to use mobile commerce. Originality/value This study advances the previous research on e-commerce adoption in settings outside the formal sector. More specifically, this study developed and validated the extended technology acceptance model in the smallest-scale of entrepreneurs, street vendors, to increase the understanding of the adoption of m-commerce.