The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Consumer Usage Intention of Electronic Wallets in the Philippines

Digital wallets have revolutionized consumers’ shopping experience by giving another convenient money transfer option. The adoption of electronic wallets (e-wallets) is significantly and positively affected by customer perception of electronic payment transactions. This paper attempts to study and examine the consumers' perception of using e-wallets in the National Capital Region during the peak of COVID-19 using the technology acceptance model (TAM) and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model. The present study examines consumers’ level of trust, security, ease of use, and usefulness and then investigates the relationship to consumers’ perception of e-wallets usage. The study employed a quantitative design using a descriptive-correlational research approach to assess the relationship between variables. The purposive sampling method was used to select the 201 respondents. The results revealed that consumers who perceived online trust, security, ease of use, and usefulness are more likely to use e-wallets during the pandemic. Practical managerial implications are addressed for enhancing digital transactions to increase consumer trust and security in online commerce.