The Adoption and Use of Smart Card Technology in Banking: An Empirical Evidence from the Moneo Electronic Purse in France

Abstract

The electronic purse is one of the latest smart card applications. It handles small payments and is complementary to other payment cards. However, there have been considerable obstacles to its widespread adoption and use by customers and retailers. This chapter explores and models the factors - economic, technological and social - and forces driving the adoption and use of the Moneo electronic purse in the South of France. An empirical study on 200 individuals allows us to analyse the determinants of the probability of adoption for consumers and retailers (Logit models) and of the frequency of use for consumers (Poisson model). The latter is found to be significantly explained by four factors (relative advantage, cost, visibility and security), income and gender with the expected sign. Finally, the reasons why Moneo’s introduction seems to have met with failure are determined, and potential solutions to help reach the required critical mass by redirecting marketing strategies are proposed.