Consumer Adoption of Alipay in Malaysia: The Mediation Effect of Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness

Despite a growing trend in m-wallet services in Malaysia, the actual level of usage is considered low among all of the non-cash payment methods. The Malaysian government has taken a serious initiative in spurring the use of m-wallets by providing a one-off RM30 incentive to all eligible Malaysians. As such, it is important to understand the motivations behind m-wallet usage by examining Alipay, which is favoured in the international, as well as Malaysian markets. This research investigates the effects of mobile payment knowledge, personal innovativeness, self-efficacy, convenience, and compatibility on the actual adoption of Alipay in Malaysia with perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, as the mediators. Using importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) and Variance Accounted For (VAF), based on Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) on 260 respondents, it was discovered that compatibility and perceived usefulness demonstrated high importance in improving the performance of Alipay adoption. The results also showed a direct effect between compatibility and mobile payment knowledge. Additionally, perceived usefulness was shown to be an essential mediator in influencing the impact of compatibility and convenience on the actual adoption of Alipay. This study has produced essential policy recommendations for both mobile wallet providers and policymakers on how to further promote the adoption of mobile wallets in Malaysia.