Online banking adoption at the bottom of the pyramid: a survey of Chinese migrant workers

Abstract

Purpose

What drives product adoption among bottom of the pyramid (BoP) consumers? The purpose of this paper is to identify several factors affecting Chinese migrant workers’ adoption of online banking. Chinese migrant workers are BoP consumers that have migrated from rural China to work in China’s expanding urban regions such as Shanghai.

Design/methodology/approach

In collaboration with the Shanghai Survey Corps of the National Bureau of Statistics, the present research conducts structured interviews with more than 1,200 Chinese migrant workers.

Findings

The results of a logit regression analysis suggest that Chinese migrant workers are more likely to adopt online banking when they have higher levels of economic, biological, and social resources.

Practical implications

The results support habit adoption theory and provide managers with insight on how to increase BoP consumers’ adoption of financial services.

Social implications

Greater adoption of financial services among BoP consumers, including Chinese migrant workers, can improve the well-being of these historically marginalized consumers.

Originality/value

The present research provides initial evidence that habit adoption theory and resource availability helps to explain Chinese migrant workers’ adoption of online banking.

Citation

Leonhardt, J.M. and Chu, R. (2017), "Online banking adoption at the bottom of the pyramid: a survey of Chinese migrant workers", International Journal of Emerging Markets, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 742-752. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJoEM-02-2016-0052