Mobile Commerce Adoption and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

Abstract

Mobile commerce has become an increasingly important component of the digital economy, particularly in emerging markets where smartphones frequently represent the primary means of internet access. Unlike conventional electronic commerce, mobile commerce enables consumers to search for information, communicate with sellers, compare products, make payments, track deliveries, provide feedback, and participate in social shopping environments through portable devices. The expansion of mobile commerce therefore represents more than a technological transition; it reflects a significant transformation in consumer decision-making, financial participation, retail competition, and market inclusion. This scholarly article examines the determinants of mobile commerce adoption and their influence on consumer behaviour in emerging markets. Drawing upon the Technology Acceptance Model, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, Diffusion of Innovations theory, perceived-value theory, trust-based models, and contemporary mobile-commerce research, the article develops an integrated explanation of adoption and continued usage. It argues that perceived usefulness, convenience, ease of use, affordability, trust, security, facilitating conditions, social influence, personal innovativeness, service quality, and platform customisation collectively influence mobile-commerce behaviour. However, these relationships are conditioned by structural realities such as uneven connectivity, limited digital literacy, low purchasing power, informal retail systems, weak consumer protection, gender-based digital inequality, and underdeveloped logistics. Mobile commerce can increase product accessibility, encourage price comparison, reduce transaction costs, support financial inclusion, and enable small enterprises to reach dispersed consumers.