Posted on February 7, 2013 by Wendy Frost
Online banking seems as prevalent as smartphones, but studies show that Internet banking usage has not risen as strongly as expected.
Padlock over a credit card
Researchers at The University of Texas at San Antonio College of Business completed a recent study that examined factors influencing Internet banking use. The study, led by Myung Ko, associate professor of information systems, appeared in the Journal of Information Technology Management.
The researchers surveyed over 300 college students to identify personality traits that affected their perceptions of electronic banking. According to their findings, three factors were attributed to positive associations with online banking: openness to new experiences, perceived usefulness and peer pressure to go green.
“We found that the overall perceived ease of use of online banking led to positive associations,” said Ko. “Our study also indicated that word-of-mouth communication from family and friends is an important influencer for Internet banking usage.”
Going green was also cited as a key reason for bank customers to use online services. Ko said that banks can leverage that trait by building awareness programs centered on the environmental benefits of online banking.
And while there were many positive reasons to support online banking, security was the No. 1 deterrent to usage. Thirty-one percent of the respondents refrained from Internet banking due to security concerns, and 48 percent performed their financial transactions online but still had security concerns.
Study co-authors included Nicole Beebe, Ph.D. ’07, UTSA assistant professor, and Ruben Mancha , MSMOT ’05, Ph.D. ’10.
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— Wendy Frost
