Click, transact, repeat: An integrated framework for adoption and continuance usage of digital financial service applications

The rapid expansion of smartphone usage and rising digital literacy have reshaped financial service delivery, positioning mobile-based applications such as digital wallets, payment platforms, and investment apps as essential tools for everyday financial management. This study explores user motivation and the depth of usage of digital financial service apps during the post-adoption phase in India’s emerging economy. An integrated model grounded in Self-Determination Theory, Task-Technology Fit, and Expectation Confirmation Theory is proposed to explain continued usage behaviour. The study also incorporates smart pricing to capture the influence of flexible, value-driven, and technology-enabled pricing mechanisms on user satisfaction and sustained engagement. Data collected from 512 Indian respondents through structured surveys reveal that perceived competence, autonomy, individual user characteristics, and effective task–technology alignment significantly shape continued usage intentions. Overall, the findings offer meaningful insights into the drivers of long-term engagement with digital financial service applications in developing markets.