Factors affecting customers' willingness to adopt mobile phone banking: a case of National Bank of Kenya

Abstract

Mobile banking is an application of mobile computing which provides customers with the support needed to be able to bank anywhere anytime using a mobile handheld device and mobile service such text messaging (SMS).Mobile banking creates time and place utility in banking activities such as checking account balances or transferring money from one account to another. Advancement and development in the areas of banking has resulted to revolution in the way business is done. It enables to create a new platform which holds the promise of a new commercial revolution by offering inexpensive and direct way of changing information between the bank and the customer about the products.

According to findings from the selected literature review, it can be concluded that the most important factors influencing the usage of mobile banking services are risk/security, quality of service, cost, and customer attitudeslhabits. Building on literature findings from IS/Ie research about models and factors influencing the adoption of mobile Phone banking, most customers are reluctant to adopt the service due to lack of information.

A survey questionnaire was developed to collect data from 300 National Bank mobile bankable customers from three major National bank of Kenya branches in Nairobi i.e (Harambee avenue, Kenyatta and Hospital branches) 100 customers per branch. This study aimed at evaluating factors affecting customers' willingness to adopt mobile phone banking in National Bank of Kenya.

The task included; establishing the relationship between branding of the product and customers' willingness to adopt mobile banking; assessing the influence of advertising on customers' willingness to adopt mobile phone banking; establishing the relationship between pricing and customers' willingness to adopt mobile phone 'banking; establishing how convenience influences customers' willingness to adopt mobile phone banking and establishing how the product itself is related to customers' willingness to adopt mobile phone banking.

From the findings the study recommends that; the bank should work more on their network system which at times is really frustrating especially when one is in a hurry; frequenting the services nationwide; the attendants should be a bit polite to the customers; the bank should provide more fair and affordable services to all its customers no matter the class; lowering the prices of the M-banking services; the bank should listen to the public demands on the sense of the new mobile banking technology so that they gain and attract more customers; the bank should work on their complex procedures; facilitating training so that 'the customers know about the complex procedures; reducing the transaction fees; they should reduce the pin numbers involved so that the customers do not suffer forgetting them; and aggressively advertising the product widely.