Consumer adoption of self-service technologies in retail banking: Is expert opinion supported by consumer research?

Due to deregulation, the New Zealand retail banking environment is characterized by change, especially in the area of self-service technologies. The success of these technology projects has been mixed, and one must question whether or not the suppliers of these technologies have a true understanding of consumer needs. Draws a comparison between what the consumers see as being important influences in the adoption or non-adoption of retail banking self-service technologies; and what the suppliers of these technologies (i.e. banking and technology experts) perceive as being important influences in the consumer adoption or non-adoption of self-service retail banking technologies. To achieve this, a review was conducted of the literature relating to consumer surveys which investigated why consumers do or do not adopt the main self-service technology in retail banking: automated telling machines. The themes from this review were identified. A Delphi study was then conducted with New Zealand's leading experts in the area of retail banking technologies. A comparison between the themes from the literature and the results of the Delphi study indicated that the suppliers of technology do in fact have an understanding of those variables, which affect consumer adoption of self-service technologies in retail banking