Risk perception and adoption of digital innovation in mobile stock trading

An increase in retail investors, trading platforms, and smartphones is facilitating digital transformation in stock trading. Investments in mobile-centered digitalization by trading firms are rapidly becoming a source of competitive advantage. Distinctive psychological aspects involving risks, make stock trading a unique individual decision-making behavior. The objective of the present research is to examine the determinants of retail investors' behavioral intentions (BI) for mobile stock trading (MoST). Across two studies using a mixed method approach we empirically test a framework comprising cognitive risk-mitigation factors, perceived risk (PR), perceived financial cost (PFC), and technology acceptance model (TAM) constructs. The results indicate information quality, privacy, and security protection to mitigate the risk perception involved in trading on mobile platforms. Further, we report the mediation of PR in the relationship between the cognitive risk-mitigating factors and BIs to adopt MoST. Moreover, we find PFC to moderate PR and the TAM constructs' relationship with BIs to adopt MoST. Our research has important theoretical contributions and managerial implications to understand digital adoption behavior by retail investors for MoST platforms.