What is it about?

This research investigates the role of paper and e-bills in the consumer-firm relationship. This study suggests that paper bills are a communication method that helps consumers trust self-serve technologies so they can adopt online and mobile banking. Banks and billing firms’ continued insistence that online consumers give up paper bills while insisting on original paper documentation in problem resolution situations, sends mixed messages which strengthens consumers' distrust in these firms.

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Why is it important?

The resistance to giving up paper bills has been dismissed as a typical 'resistance to change' behaviour. Rather this paper provides support for the active and conscious decision making of consumers who use both paper and e-bills. I label these users as exhibiting simultaneous technology use behaviour.

Perspectives

Paper documents are particularly fascinating objects to explore since they are widely available and consumers are very familiar with them. However, until her research, their meaning and function to consumers has been obscured from the researchers’ view due to their ubiquity and familiarity.

Dr Joanne McNeish
Toronto Metropolitan University

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This page is a summary of: Consumer trust and distrust: retaining paper bills in online banking, The International Journal of Bank Marketing, February 2015, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/ijbm-08-2013-0088.
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