Relative advantage of interactive electronic banking adoption by premium customers: The moderating role of social capital

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a nuanced understanding of premium customers’ intent to adopt an interactive electronic channel (IEC) and the moderating role of social capital on perceived relative advantage (RA) in adoption. Design/methodology/approach: Study findings are based on a field survey that investigates the launching of an IEC by a leading international bank in Hong Kong. Findings: Among social capital dimensions, cognitive capital significantly weakens the relationship between efficacy of information acquisition and IEC adoption, while relational capital enhances the relationship between trust and adoption. Research limitations/implications: This paper provides a theoretical lens based on social capital theory for evaluating the moderating effects of social capital on the relationship between RA and IEC adoption by premium customers in the banking industry. Practical implications: Findings provide insights for the practice of banks when trying to deliver financial services via an IEC to the premium customer segment. Originality/value: This research extends the channel choice theory to the context of banking channel adoption of premium customers; provides a better understanding of the IEC and its adoption in the more complex setting of financial consultation services; and offers insights for a better understanding of fragmented findings on the relationships between adoption intention and its antecedents in response to calls for studies on contingent factors.