Because the “Why?” behind adoption of new technologies is so essential for diffusion of initiatives such as m-banking and smartcards, its elusive answer is all the more perplexing. The “I need that” decision is seemingly motivated by anything, from an environment, to a person, or even a need to self-broadcast. Even I, after recently purchasing a new cell phone, have difficulty stating precisely why I decided on the make and model I did.

This particular quality of customer adoption creates compelling ties to my current bus ride read. Similar to John Gottman and relationship emotions or Paul Ekman and facial cues, perhaps dissecting the factors that influence customer decisions will yield stronger insight into that elusive “Why?”

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We’ve written before about how government-to-person (G2P) transfers could be a conduit for increasing access to financial services. But how do you connect the world of cash with the electronic systems that deliver benefits? The U.S. government has successfully operated its Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program across all of its states and territories since 2004. Rather than receiving paper benefits, participants open an EBT account – not affiliated with a bank – and receive a debit card that can be used for in-store purchases or ATM cash withdrawals at specially branded terminals. State governments provide electronic transfer for benefits, such as Supplementary Nutrition Assistance and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and vendors, such as JP Morgan Chase and Affiliated Computer Services, manage account information.

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