From Use to Habit: Rethinking Consumer Spending Behavior in Malaysia's Digital Payment Ecosystem

The rise of digital payment systems has significantly reshaped financial transactions across Southeast Asia, with Malaysia emerging as a key player in this transformation. This study examines how specific features of digital payment platforms—such as convenience, perceived security, and rewards programs-alongside demographic factors, influence consumer spending behavior. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the research focuses not just on adoption but on post-adoption behaviors among Malaysian users. A structured survey of 500 active digital payment users was conducted, and the data were analyzed using regression and ANOVA techniques. Interestingly, the results challenge common assumptions in both academia and industry. Although participants expressed generally positive views about the convenience and security of digital payments, none of these factors-including rewards or demographics, were found to predict their spending behavior significantly. These findings suggest that once consumers become accustomed to digital payments, their usage patterns may be shaped more by habit, emotional response, or lifestyle fit than by the platform features themselves. This insight opens up new conversations around how digital finance should be designed, marketed, and studied going forward. The study concludes by calling for more nuanced, behaviorally grounded models and practical strategies that go beyond technical efficiency.