Understanding the determinants of ePharmacy services: the moderating effect of technology discomfort

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the determinants affecting behavioral intention (BI) to use ePharmacy services. The moderating role of technology discomfort in the relationship between BI and the actual use of ePharmacies in the context of Bangladesh is also examined. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive, quantitative approach was used to consider the UTAUT-2 model. Using the convenience sampling method, 255 responses were collected. The data were analyzed using Smart-PLS 3.2 software to investigate the hypothesized relationships. Findings The findings reveal that website information, doctors’ services, performance expectancy, return policy, social influence, perceived reliability and facilitating conditions are significantly related to the BI to use ePharmacy services. Interestingly, the structural equation modeling results also confirmed that technology discomfort has no moderating effect on the relationship between BI and actual usage behavior. Research limitations/implications This research provides theoretical contribution by extending the practical knowledge focusing on the relationship of ePharmacy, BI and actual usage behavior by using UTAUT-2 model – a relevant and unexplored issue in the easting literature, offering several research opportunities as the future avenue. Practical implications The result highlights the economic and social relevance from the perspective of a developing country. As people are showing their intention toward ePharmacy, managers and decision-makers need to take strategic decision to overcome any difficulties. Policymakers need to improve their services for the expansion of ePharmacy through different development projects. Originality/value This study advances past studies on the use of ecommerce in the pharmaceutical industry and provides a general understanding of customers in developing countries.

Editorial: Information, knowledge, and technology in developing economies in times of crises

“…In the fourth paper, Gani, Rahman, Faroque, Sabit and AbdeFattah (2022) analyze the determinants that affect the adoption of e-Pharmacy in behavioral intention and the moderating role of technology discomfort in this relationship. The quantitative results of the analysis of 255 responses using the UTAUT-2 model in the Bangladeshi context revealed that website information, medical care, performance expectation, return policy, social influence, perceived trustworthiness and facilitating conditions are significantly related to the adoption of e-Pharmacy as well as technological-and informational-related resources.…”

Longitudinal effects of high-performance work practices on job performance via person–job fit

“…PLS-SEM is one of the popular data analysis techniques used in the strategic management field (Cho et al , 2022) and is useful for complex models as compared to other techniques. Moreover, PLS-SEM is widely used in recent studies for examining intervening relationships between variables (Gani et al , 2022; Sarstedt et al , 2020). A two-step procedure was followed for analyzing and interpreting the PLS model (Henseler et al , 2015).…”

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“…Due to the inaccessible contact data of women entrepreneurs for use as a sampling frame in this investigation, researchers were forced to use convenience sampling, which is the practice of gathering data from people who are easily accessible (Huang, 2016). Although convenience sampling results may restrict the generalizability of the findings, there is evidence that this technique is reliable for such investigations and is widely accepted in behavioural and business research (Gani et al , 2022; Peterson and Merunka, 2014; Speak et al , 2018).…”