Exploring cashless technology continuance among SME entrepreneurs: an integrated approach with sustainability mediation and demographic moderation

The rapid advancement of cashless technologies has transformed financial transactions worldwide. In Bangladesh, entrepreneurs affiliated with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly adopting these innovations to enhance business efficiency and sustainability. This study delves into the factors influencing the continued use of cashless technologies among SME entrepreneurs by developing an integrated and extended model. It combines the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) with the Information Systems (IS) Continuance Model, incorporating attitude toward sustainability as a mediator and gender and education as moderating variables. Following an empirical investigation of 219 SME entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, this study employs a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. The findings indicate that performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, and hedonic motivation directly impact entrepreneurs' satisfaction, which, in turn, influences their intention to continue using cashless technologies. Additionally, attitude toward sustainability partially mediates the relationship between satisfaction and continuance intention. Furthermore, gender negatively moderates the relationship between social influence and satisfaction, whereas education also inversely moderates the link between effort expectancy and satisfaction. By integrating UTAUT2 with the IS Continuance Model and incorporating sustainability and demographic moderators, this research provides a comprehensive theoretical framework for examining both cashless technology usage's pre-adoption and post-adoption phases in entrepreneurial contexts. The findings suggest that policymakers and fintech developers refine their strategies, ensuring sustained user engagement and long-term adoption.