Transformation of smart-card-based single-purpose e-micropayment scheme to multi-purpose scheme: A case study

Highlights? Extend practical application of DEMATEL to smart card-based e-micropayment system. ? Obtain dynamics of single-purpose e-micropayment scheme becoming multi-purposes. ? Study how various factors interact and contribute to the diffusion of the scheme. ? Examine from user's perspective instead of expert's angle in this DEMATEL study. Micropayment is common in retail outlets and public transport systems. This paper considers the situation where smart-card-based e-micropayment scheme starts off as single-purpose scheme and is progressing to be a multi-purpose scheme. User deciding whether to use such a scheme is a multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem and depends on factors such as transaction cost, availability of discount, ease of use, convenience, reliability, and participation by transport-based companies, retail outlets, large organizations, as well as whether others are using it. Through a case study of successful smart-card-based single-purpose e-micropayment schemes in Taiwan and from the user's perspective, the dynamic picture of the progression is obtained to analyze how different factors interact and collectively contribute to the successful transformation and diffusion of the scheme. Since this is a MCDM problem, Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory, a MCDM method, is used. Hence, this paper contributes to extending practical applications of DEMATEL to the field of electronic payment system. It is found that the dynamic picture of the progression of single-purpose smart-card-based e-micropayment scheme to multi-purpose scheme is indeed complex. The factors are definitely not independent of one another and they interact with one another. Ease of use, discount and participation by retail outlets are net causer factors. Top-up locations, reliability of the scheme, participation by transport companies and large organizers are net receiver factors. Factors related to participants of the scheme (such as user base, retail-outlet and transport companies) also exhibit the presence of network effect. The scheme operator faces a chicken and egg situation but the operator has to start somewhere to kick-start the process, end the waiting game, and hopefully to achieve the bandwagon effect. A possible starting point is to focus a lot of the energy on getting more retail outlets onboard. To further accelerate the progression to multi-purpose scheme, a multi-pronged approach to manage the transformation is also advised. To attract more users and to push them to use the scheme to make payment at the participating retail outlets, discount can be offered.