Customer Reluctance to Adapt for Self-Banking in Rural Sri Lanka: A Study at a Rural Commercial Bank, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Self-service banking has had a transformative impact on the financial industry. Almost every country in the world, including Sri Lanka, has implemented self-service banking in its banks. Customers in rural areas,, are hesitant to use self-service banking. This study is intended to explore the facts and causes that contribute to customers' reluctance to utilize self-banking services technology in rural areas of Sri Lanka, as well as to identify potential barriers to self-banking participation in remote areas of Sri Lanka. The interpretive research approach was chosen in this study. Six bank customers and two bank executives were interviewed to acquire data, and semi-structured interviews were employed as the data collection strategy. As the data analysis method, thematic analysis has been adopted. Fear of use and myths about self-banking, unawareness about self-banking services, incompatibility/unfamiliarity with technology, demographic factors, fees, and insufficient promotional strategies have all been found as restrictions on promoting self-banking in rural areas.