The Impact of Cognitive versus Affective Aspects on Consumer Usage of Financial Service Delivery Channels



Affective Determinants

The results show that affective influences were only relevant predictors of usage frequency
for the remote channels. Has the branch lost its ability to provoke emotional reactions from
customers, leaving its thrust to a functional perspective? For remote technology-based
channels, both cognitive and affective influences have a say in the way a channel’ users
decide their degree of usage frequency. Therefore, the results confirm that consumers can
appreciate a delivery interface for the fun, enjoyment and positive feelings that the interaction
evokes, independently of rationalizing the utility they may derive from using such an
interface. This confirms the experiential perspective of consumer behavior (Klinger, 1971;
McGregor, 1974; Olshavsky and Granbois, 1979; Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982; Holbrook
et al., 1984) applied to usage frequency of technology-based delivery channels.

Concerning enjoyment with technology, the variable was only considered relevant to
explain Internet-based channel usage. A possible explanation might be that the debit card and
the telephone-based channels are considered established and not particularly likely to induce
any excitement with their use. These channels have been available to banking customers for
several decades, and their usage might not be offering joy and excitement similar to the usage
of an Internet-based channel, which is more recent for bank customers. As expected,
preference for dealing with technological interfaces is a significant regressor for the debit
card and Internet-based channel usage frequency. It is understandable that bank users with a
higher preference for interacting with technological devices or self-service options, will favor
in their interactions with the bank (increasing their usage frequency) those delivery channels
mediated by technology.

Desire for control emerges as a significant predictor in two channels: in the debit card
channel, the variable represents a positive contribution for the explanation of the channel’s
usage frequency, whereas for the Internet-based channel it represents a negative contribution.
In the debit card channel, the environment can be considered familiar and known to
customers, who would then perceive control over that environment and would wish to control
it. Alternatively, in the Internet-based channel, customers face a novel environment:
customers’ lack of dominance may reduce their desire for controlling the environment. The
results are in accordance with Janis and Mann’s (1977) conclusion that people become
decision averse in risky choices. Internet banking is still unfamiliar for the majority of bank
customers, who would then perceive higher risks in this channel as compared to others.
Therefore, it is possible that, to avoid making bad decisions and facing the consequences, on-
line bank customers have less motivation for control: at least, while the environment is not as

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