Extending UTAUT-2 towards acceptance by SMEs of the mobile application platform “Tripper Notifier Application”

Purpose This study aims to explore the factors that impact behaviour intention and use behaviour towards a mobile application adoption called the “Tripper Notifier Application” (TNA) during the COVID-19 pandemic by using extended the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT-2): personal innovativeness, business resilience and perceived fear. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from 405 hospitality-related small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The focus was on certain types of businesses, including restaurants, hotels, and attraction sites from across a province located in lower northern Thailand. This was accomplished through the use of a self-administered questionnaire and the analysis of the data using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings The results gathered from SEM indicate that the drivers of behavioural intentions to use were directly influenced by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation, habits, facilitating conditions (especially business resilience) and personal innovativeness. However, perceived fear had no significant effects on the business owner–manager’s intentions to use TNA. The proposed model is a powerful predictive framework for 69.3% of behaviour intention and 77.5% of use behaviour. Originality/value This research offers a unique and innovative contribution by providing valuable insights to aid senior management of SMEs in formulating and executing business strategies. Specifically, it focuses on the integration of mobile applications into a business strategy framework by leveraging the UTAUT-2 theory. This theoretical framework is applied within the context of the hospitality industry, resulting in the development of a tailored and precise adoption strategy.