Page 69 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

Maral Jamalova: Socıal Influence and Smartphone Adoptıon in Collectıvıstıc Country:
Evıdence from Azerbaıjan

However, the survey conducted by the author of the current paper has already
proved that symbolic brand image does not influence the behavioral intention of
Azeri students (Jamalova, 2020). It might be closely related to the age and socio-
economic status of survey respondents.

MODERATING EFFECT OF GENDER

The influence of gender on customers' decisions was gaining popularity after the
1960s (Palan, 2001). For marketers, it remains a prevalent variable used for
segmentation (Schertzer, Laufer, Silvera, & McBride, 2008). In the current study,
the author considers the gender of the respondents only from a biological point of
view. A knowledge gap in terms of the influence of gender on customer behavior
toward technological products was not filled. Venkatesh and Morris (2000) reviewed
the studies regarding the influence of gender on technology adoption. Until the
2000s, no studies measured the moderating effect of gender on customers' decisions
towards technological products (Venkatesh & Morris, 2000). It might be one of the
reasons for including gender as moderating variable in UTAUT/UTAUT2.

Figure 1 Proposed Model.

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