Introduction/Main Objectives: Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) has diffused rapidly across digital commerce, reframing checkout as a low friction credit decision. While this accelerates access and conversion, it also raises concerns about over consumption and information asymmetries. This study examines how financial literacy shapes consumers’ intention to use and actual usage of BNPL by integrating the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with a sustainable-marketing perspective focused on transparency, education, and consumer protection.
Background Problems: The core question is: to what extent does financial literacy operating through UTAUT perceptions and reinforced by sustainable marketing practices translate into higher intention and responsible usage of BNPL?
Novelty: Prior BNPL research has emphasized behavioral and demographic correlates but has rarely positioned financial literacy as an antecedent feeding a mediated UTAUT pathway or explicitly modeled sustainable marketing as an enabling context. The study advances a capability led, sustainability aware mechanism for BNPL adoption.
Research Methods: A cross-sectional survey of Indonesian consumers (N=153) was analyzed using covariance based structural equation modeling. Reflective constructs (financial literacy; performance expectancy; effort expectancy; social influence; facilitating conditions; behavioral intention; actual usage) were adapted from validated scales and assessed via confirmatory factor analysis, reliability tests, and discriminant validity checks. Indirect effects were evaluated with bias corrected bootstrapping.
Findings/Results: Findings inform industry design choices (prominent total cost disclosure, fee simulations, calculators, reminders, flexible rescheduling) and regulatory standards (plain language cost disclosure, outcome based conduct metrics, and scalable literacy programs), offering practical pathways to grow BNPL responsibly in market and educational settings.
Conclusion: Responsible BNPL adoption is capability led and context dependent: financial literacy enhances adoption relevant beliefs, while transparent, educational marketing amplifies these effects, aligning user uptake with consumer welfare.
Implementation Potential: Findings inform industry design choices (prominent total-cost disclosure, fee simulations, calculators, reminders, flexible rescheduling) and regulatory standards (plain language cost disclosure, outcome based conduct metrics, and scalable literacy programs), offering practical pathways to grow BNPL responsibly in market and educational settings.
Keywords: Financial literacy; Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL); UTAUT; Sustainable Marketing; Consumer Behavior.
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