Portsmouth Business School

Thesis summary

The bank markets across Europe have faced a rapidly changing environment and become increasingly competitive following liberalisation and deregulation. As a result, technology in general and Information and Communication Technology in particular, have become one of the most powerful strategic weapons for banks to ensure profitability and to develop their market position. Yet, in an increasingly technology orientated bank market, the role market research and consumers play in the development of innovative services has become increasingly important. Internet banking is the latest and most innovative technological service to be offered by the banks in Turkey. As users of Internet banking actively participate in the service provision, a customer orientated design according to needs and skills of the various classes of consumers becomes a major necessity to accelerate the diffusion of the service. Against this background, this research initially examines the role market research plays in the development of Internet banking services and how consumers are involved in this process. The research then studies the process of Internet banking adoption in Turkey and particularly how different groups of consumers perceive the service use. A multi-method approach employing both qualitative and quantitative type of research was chosen to reach the research objectives.

The key finding of this study is that the banks involved in this research were developing and introducing Internet banking with very limited market research. The market research was utilised only after the commercialisation of the service had taken place. The conceptual framework developed for this research identified the threee key roles consumers play in the development of Internet banking services. The consumer side of the research revealed that Internet banking adopters and non-adopters differed from each other based on their perceptual, experience related, demographical, socio-economic and situation related characteristics.

This study has contributed to the existing literature by developing an innovative conceptual framework within the context of new service development. The consumer modelling that applied the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with Perceived Risk and Diffusion Innovations Theories to the context of Turkey also represented a unique research endeavour. The key findings of this study provided policy implications for banking industry and government bodies.