Reexamination of use continuance for web-based information systems

Abstract

The effectiveness of investment in information systems (IS) can be partly explained by the continuous usage of installed systems. Therefore, the research on IS user retention is important from both practical and academic perspectives. Furthermore, when it comes to Internet sites, where the users are free to choose whether to stay or leave, IS continuance at the individual user level is central to the survival of many electronic commerce firms such as Internet service providers, online retailers, and online banks. IS continuance describes behavior patterns reflecting the continued use of IS and refers to a post-adoption behavior. Recently, researchers have started to advocate the need to understand continued IS usage behavior. Most of the IS continuance research has assumed that IS use is activated by an intention to use an IS, which in turn is determined by the evaluation of IS usage. Most of the research has been supported by the cognitive intention based theories, including the theory of reasoned action (TRA), the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the technology acceptance model (TAM) and its variants. TRA based beliefs have been adopted as the main antecedents of IS use continuance. They are based on the assumptions that continuance is a simple repetition of initial adoption because those belief constructs are the same with those for TAM. However, in order to investigate the difference between initial adoption and continuance, it is necessary to investigate the effects of the users’ psychological motivation emerging after initial adoption. This motivation tends to influence subsequent continuance decisions, not prior acceptance decisions. As an example of such a motivation, another potential determinant, perceived switching cost, may be used instead of the existing evaluation concepts like perceived usefulness. Another striking difference between continuance and initial adoption is that continuance is salient when the user has accumulated prior usage exper...