Ayesha Bevan-Dye

Mobile banking represents an important addition to retail banks’ digital banking channels and a salient tool for servicing both current and future customers. However, given the cybernetic nature of mobile banking, there is a certain degree of uncertainty and perceived risk associated with the use thereof. This uncertainty and perceived risk elevate the importance of trust in fostering mobile banking adoption. The Generation Y cohort, which encompasses today’s youth, represents an important current and future banking segment and their adoption of mobile banking channels could have a significant effect on the cost of servicing members of this cohort. Understanding the factors that positively contribute to the Generation Y cohort’s trust in mobile banking will help retail banks to better market their mobile banking channels to members of this cohort and thereby foster greater adoption of such channels. The study reported in this article considers the influence of the perceived integrity of the bank and the perceived system quality of mobile banking on Generation Y students’ perceived trust in mobile banking in the South African context. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of 334 students registered at three public South African university campuses using a self-administered questionnaire. The gathered data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and bivariate regression analysis. The results of the study suggest that Generation Y students’ perceived integrity of a bank, together with the perceived system quality of mobile banking, has a significant positive influence on their perceived trust in mobile banking.

Despite the benefits that mobile banking has to offer, coupled with positive mobile penetration rates, the use of mobile devices to perform banking transactions and access financial information is not as widespread as expected. The significantly sized Generation Y cohort is a rewarding market segment for retail banks. In South Africa, however, this cohort’s mobile banking adoption is largely under-researched. Understanding the antecedents that positively influence Generation Y students’ attitudes towards and usage behavior of mobile banking will assist retail banks in their efforts to tailor their business and marketing strategies effectively towards this cohort, and in doing so, foster increased acceptance of their mobile channels. As such, the purpose of this study was to extend the technology acceptance model (TAM) and determine the influence of perceived ease of use, relative advantage, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, perceived integrity and the perceived system quality of mobile banking on South African Generation Y students’ attitudes towards and usage behavior of mobile banking. Following a descriptive research design, self-administered questionnaires were completed by a non-probability convenience sample of 334 students registered at the campuses of three registered public South African universities located in the Gauteng province. Data analysis included correlation analysis and structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that while perceived ease of use, perceived integrity and the perceived system quality predict Generation Y students’ mobile banking usage behavior, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and the perceived relative advantage of mobile banking predict attitudes towards mobile banking, which, in turn, predict their mobile banking usage behavior.

Fashion leaders significantly contribute to an economy’s clothing segment, given their unique role in influencing fashion followers to purchase fashion clothing. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the factors that influence the sizeable and lucrative Generation Y male student cohort’s fashion leadership. The study conveniently sampled 400 Generation Y male students between 18 and 24 years old enrolled at two public South African higher education institutions. The study used a descriptive research design. A standardized self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data analysis included computing the descriptive statistics, the internal consistency reliability, the nomological validity, collinearity diagnostics, and multiple linear regression. The study results suggest that although product knowledge, fashion consciousness, mood enhancement, and brand switching behavior have a statistically significant favorable influence on Generation Y male students’ fashion leadership tendencies, decision-making confidence was not a statistically significant predictor. The study offers valuable insights that could assist marketing practitioners and fashion retail stores in understanding and better influencing the Generation Y male cohort’s fashion leadership. This, in turn, will aid them in rethinking and adapting their marketing endeavors to appeal to this market segment.

The fashion apparel industry constitutes a significant global economic force. Generation Y consumers represent a sought after target market to this industry as they are forecasted to have a disposable income outrivaling that of previous generations. Generation Y individuals are acknowledged as being amenable to the opinions of social media influencers, particularly those expressed by celebrity influencers, who often act as aspirational referents. Despite reports highlighting the relevance of the social media influencer strategy when targeting Generation Y, there remains a paucity of research on influencer marketing. Therefore, this study aims to ascertain the antecedents of Generation Y consumers’ perceived utility of celebrity influencers’ Instagram fashion apparel content and consequent fashion brand predispositions and purchase intentions. Fieldwork yielded 334 questionnaires from a convenience sample of Generation Y students registered at two universities in South Africa; data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that informational value, entertainment value, and trustworthiness account for more than 50% of the variance in Generation Y consumers’ perceptions of the utility of celebrity influencers’ Instagram fashion content. In turn, perceived utility, in conjunction with its determinants, accounts for 70% of the variance in their predispositions toward showcased fashion apparel brands, which collectively accounts for 65% of the total variance in their intentions to purchase those brands. These findings highlight celebrity influencers’ salient role in Generation Y consumers’ fashion brand choices and the necessity of incorporating celebrity influencer appeal into fashion apparel marketing communication strategies designed to engage with this generation.