by attending to only one of them is to neglect important aspects of the consumer psyche
(Olshavsky and Granbois, 1979; Holbrook et al., 1984). Playful consumption has been
studied in relation to hobbies (Bloch and Bruce, 1984), creativity (Hirschman, 1983), leisure
activities (Unger and Kernan, 1983), games (Holbrook et al., 1984), and aesthetic
appreciation (Osborne, 1979). It is intended to extend this perspective to technology.
Interaction with technology-based devices or interfaces can be both a rational and an
affective decision. One can have a preference for the net utility benefits and/or for the playful
aspect embodied in technology as the input(s) for this interaction. Holbrook and Hirschman
(1982) proposed the experiential perspective, in which the consumer is directed by an
hedonic pursuit of pleasure, seeking fun, amusement, fantasy, and enjoyment (or
alternatively, consumers can derive value from avoidance of negative feelings). The logic
behind this perspective of consumer behavior is that consumers appreciate an object for its
own sake, apart from any utilitarian function it may or may not perform.
As such, a model (Figure 1) explaining consumers’ decisions on usage frequency of
technology-based delivery channels is proposed, with both cognitive and affective
determinants. The specific factors tested as predictors derive from the literature reviewed and
from a series of in-depth interviews with bank customers and managers. The factors tested as
cognitive influences on usage decision are perceived ease of use, perceived risk, perceived
service quality and perceived communication efforts. These cognitive determinants describe
perceptions about the attributes of the delivery channels, or about the firm, and are rationally
evaluated by customers, weighting the pros and the cons. Similarly, the factors tested as
affective determinants are enjoyment with technology, preference for dealing with
technological interfaces, desire for control and enjoyment with participation. This set of
affective determinants corresponds to feelings, that is, emotional sensations that result from
the interaction with delivery channels. It is recognized that the list of tested determinants
could be extended. Nevertheless, this set was considered the most appropriate considering the
literature, the results from the in-depth interviews and the exploratory nature of the research.