Effects of the Pandemic on the Adoption of E-Wallets Among Young Adults in Malaysia

Abstract

The rapid growth and advancement of electronic devices and technologies in the FinTech industry empower new innovative products and services. The covid-19 pandemic could have a devastating effect on Malaysia’s economy, but it has offered additional opportunities for the E-wallet segment of the Fintech business to thrive. The E-wallet segment of FinTech is one of the latest innovations that is currently growing as there is a need for contactless payments during the pandemic situation. The main objective of the study is to examine the factors affecting e-wallet adoption among young adults in Malaysia. A sample of 200 responses was analyzed using Smart PLS 3.0. The findings revealed that the factors of “performance expectancy”, “effort expectancy”, “compatibility”, and “social influence” have a positive and significant impact during the pandemic; however, the factor of “facilitating conditions” has no significant impact on the adoption of the E-wallets. The study substantiates the key and important variables of adoption in order to develop and evolve E-wallet providers' existing services. Particularly, due to the increasing importance of e-commerce, E-wallet service providers are urged to focus on the system's interoperability, which encourages individuals or customers to use the strategy. They should include unique features that allow customers to accept the service, trust its benefits and feel comfortable using the technology. The study is useful to the E-wallet providers to improve the existing services. The findings also guide the companies offering E-wallets to enhance the usage and adoption of their services.

Keywords

• e-wallet adoption
• performance expectancy
• effort expectancy
• social influence
• facilitating conditions
• compatibility