Acceptance of Mobile App “Racadi” Among Small Retailers: An Action Research
Keywords:
mobile app, technology acceptance, small retailers, action researchAbstract
Small retailers often find it challenging to cope with the changes and competition in the business. One of the primary problems that small retailers are now facing is their clinging to the old ways of doing business. In this study, we introduced a sales management mobile application called “Racadi” (which means “good-priced” in the Thai language) to help address this inherent concern. In particular, we employed an action research design to study why some small retailers choose to accept or reject this mobile application. Based on several technology acceptance models, our research was divided into three phases. Phase 1 involved learning the needs of small retailers and the design of Racadi, whereas Phase 2 involved identifying retailers’ difficulties in the use of Racadi. In Phase 3, we sought to understand why some retailers maintain their use of Racadi. Data are primarily collected through in-depth interviews with 50 retailers over nine months. The findings show that the three prominent theories (TAM, UTAUT 2, and DIT) are not sufficient to explain mobile application adoption among small retailers as not all critical factors involved are identified. New factors revealed by this study are 1) Entrepreneurial Spirit, 2) Ability to Use, and 3) Perceived Risk. Several important theoretical and practical implications have emerged from this present research.
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