Information Technology Usage Transfer in Online Context: A Brand Extension Perspective

Information technology (IT) adoption and acceptance have been the subject of increasing interest and scholarly investigation by information system researchers for over a decade. However, most have examined the usage behavior of various IT products in isolation while the brand nature of technology products has been generally ignored. The current study examines usage transfer behavior from the brand extension perspective and identifies salient determinants of brand extension effect in the adoption Web-based technology. Drawing upon the categorization theory, we propose a research model and try to validate it using cross-sectional field data collected for a search engine and its extensions to a virtual community and web portal. This research contributes to both research and practice by advancing understanding of transfer behavior between products sharing the same brand as well as by providing insights on technology product design and marketing promotion strategies in electronic markets