Post-adoptive automaticity of use: A quantitative examination of habit in a mandatory use environment in the food service distribution industry

Technology acceptance is a well documented, mature stream of research. Pervasive behavioral models such as the technology acceptance model and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology have been applied in a wide range of environments. Recent scholarly works seems to suggest that these models may be missing a key component: habit. This study examines the construct of habit in a mandatory use setting. Participants were solicited from five organizations in the food service distribution industry. The results indicated that habit is a significant influence on usage intention in this environment. The implication for research is that current, well accepted models of usage behavior may be able to improve their explanatory power by taking into account habitual usage behavior.