Information Technology has permeated many facets of work life in industrialized nations.
With the expansion ofInternet access we are now witnessing an expansion ofthe use of
information technology in the form of electronic commerce. This current study tests the
applicability ofone prominent information technology uptake model, the Technology
Acceptance Model (Int. J. Man Mach. Stud. 38 (1993) 475), within an electronic commerce
setting. Specifically, the relationship between the perceived ease ofuse, usefulness and three
electronically recorded indicators ofuse were assessed within the context of an electronic
supermarket. A total of247 participants completed the attitudinal measures. Electronically
recorded indicators ofuse in the form ofdeliveries, purchase value and number oflog-ons to
the system were also recorded for the month the participants completed the questionnaire and
6 further months. Results indicated that the Technology Acceptance Model could be
successfully applied to an electronic supermarket setting, providing empirical support for the
ability ofthe Technology Acceptance Model to predict actual behaviour. The Technology
Acceptance Model explained up to 15% ofthe variance in the behavioural indicators through
perceived ease ofuse and usefulness ofthe system. However, the perceived ease ofuse ofthe
system did not uniquely contribute to the prediction ofbehaviour when usefulness was
considered, indicating a mediation effect. Future research should now focus on product and
service attributes to more fully explain the use of electronic commerce services.
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