Business & Management Studies

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of mobile payment systems has reshaped consumer behavior, yet older adults remain a crucial yet underexplored user segment. This study extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by integrating two age-specific antecedents, cognitive age and stereotype threat, to examine their influence on mobile payment adoption. Based on a survey of 225 respondents aged 50 and older in southern Taiwan, this research also investigates the mediating roles of perceived ease of use and receptiveness to innovation. The results indicate that both cognitive age and stereotype threat significantly reduce perceived ease of use and receptiveness to innovation. Furthermore, perceived ease of use fully mediates the effects of cognitive age and stereotype threat on mobile payment intention, whereas receptiveness to innovation mediates these effects via indirect-only mediation for cognitive age and partial mediation for stereotype threat. These findings underscore the pivotal role of perceived ease of use and receptiveness to innovation in older adults’ technology adoption. The study enriches TAM by incorporating psychosocial factors unique to aging populations and offers practical implications for designing age-friendly payment interfaces, alleviating stereotype-induced anxiety, supplying risk-free trials, and leveraging cognitive age marketing strategies to enhance digital acceptance.