Acceptance and Use of Digital Payments by Consumers: An Empirical Analysis in Italy

Framing of the research. Several governments have introduced policies to foster the usage of digital payments by consumers, with the goal of curbing tax evasion. Nevertheless, cash is still predominant. This raises questions about the factors that can promote the usage of digital payments by consumers. Purpose of the paper. This paper aims at investigating the factors affecting the adoption of digital payments by Italian consumers, extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology in a consumer context (UTAUT2) with three constructs that are relevant when analyzing this topic, namely the role of government incentives, the concerns related to privacy, and the degree of aversion towards tax evasion. Methodology. To empirically assess the proposed research model, we gathered data in Italy through a web-based survey and analyzed them using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling. Results. Findings confirm the UTAUT2 model, except for price value, which is found to be insignificant. Government incentives and tax evasion aversion have a significant positive impact on the behavioral intention to adopt digital payments, whereas privacy concerns have a significant negative effect. Research limitations. The main limitation of this study concerns data gathering, as it was conducted using the Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing methodology, which targets consumers that are already familiar with digital instruments. Practical implications. The paper highlights the factors that both digital payment providers and public institutions may leverage to foster the adoption of digital payments by consumers. Originality of the paper. To the best of our knowledge, this study is unique as it examines the adoption of digital payments by Italian consumers, extending the framework to prepaid, credit, and debit cards, instead of considering mobile payments alone.