Mobile banking affordances and constraints by the elderly

Purpose The study explores the affordances and constraints perceived by older adults through their experiences using mobile banking apps. Design/methodology/approach Twenty-five interviews via Skype were carried out with older adults aged 65 years and over between April and May 2021 (during the COVID-19 pandemic). Findings Based on their usage experiences with mobile banking, older adults identified functional (saving time, avoiding physical risk and having control over their finances) and social affordances (supporting and bonding with family and friends), as well as non-technological (lack of useful information and patience from bank employees) and technological constraints (concerns about cybersecurity, data privacy and passwords). Originality/value The study offers a novel approach to customer experience research in mobile banking by adopting a customer-centered perspective and applying the theoretical framework of affordances and constraints to analyze the experiences of older adults as active mobile banking users.