The effect of consumer resistance to innovation on innovation adoption: the moderating role of customer loyalty

Purpose The purpose of the study is to construct a relationship model between the consumer resistance to innovation (CRI) and innovation adoption, and the study selected the customer loyalty as the moderating variable. Design/methodology/approach Based on questionnaire survey and regression model analysis, the study analyses the psychological processes and formation mechanisms that they either resist or adopt innovation by exploring users' attitudes towards smartphone application updates. Findings The results showed that innovation resistance negatively affected innovation adoption, and consumers are more likely to adopt innovations simply under the influence of customer loyalty. In addition, the moderating effect of customer loyalty is different in that how the three dimensions of innovation resistance influence innovation adoption. From the perspective of affective response, when consumers become emotionally disgusted with innovative products, loyalty can hardly change their minds. When consumers' resistance to innovation comes more from cognitive evaluation or functioning, loyalty is more likely to change their resistance. Originality/value The paper tests mechanism between customer resist the new product and new product adoption and the moderate effect of customer loyalty.