The Determinants and Interest on Mobile Commerce Adoption among East Coast Entrepreneurs in Malaysia

Abstract

Mobile commerce among rural entrepreneurs is still in the infancy stage. This study investigates the determinants and interest of mobile commerce usage among east coast entrepreneurs in Malaysia regarding purchase and sale activities. A questionnaire was adopted and adapted from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and previous empirical studies. 400 questionnaires were distributed through online and face-to-face survey methods for the east coast entrepreneurs in Malaysia. The purposive and snowball sampling method was applied in this study. 360 samples were subsequently analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis aided by SPSS 26.0. The study found that social influence was the most significant factor in mobile commerce utilisation among east coast entrepreneurs in Malaysia. About 71.1% of east coast entrepreneurs in Malaysia were interested in mobile commerce in expanding their business network at least once a month. It highlighted that the mobile commerce adoption has good attention from east coast entrepreneurs in Malaysia. The finding obtained that the east coast entrepreneurs in Malaysia were ready for implementing mobile commerce in their business activities. Hence, it added significantly to bridging the knowledge gap concerning the infancy rate of mobile commerce usage among rural entrepreneurs. This empirical study provides significant input to all stakeholders, including government, relevant stakeholders (e.g. entrepreneurs, supply chain industry, telecommunications industry, and ICT industry), and local communities to strategise further initiative mainly for society, economic and country development.