| Abstract | Since disruptive technological innovation products (hereafter referred to as disruptive technology product: DTP) have become widely available, consumers have had the option of switching to the DTP or continuing to use the existing technology, it is extremely vital for manufacturers, retailers, and policy makers to understand the factors driving consumers’ switching intentions. A DTP promises considerable opportunities for dynamic access into current and new markets. It also involves a high possibility of failure because of customers’ resistance to switch from current technological products to DTPs, which require a change in user behavior and frequently comes with not only benefits, but also drawbacks for the user. Most research on disruptive technology has focused on supply-side issues such as the importance influence of disruptiveness happening to the business performance of both established firms and new entrants. Less attention has been paid to demand-side issues. This study goals to help fulfill this gap in the literature on disruptive innovation by exploring consumer motivations in terms of switching from a current technological product to a DTP. Studies within the relevant literature have explored the motivations influencing consumer intentions to switch to new technological products or services in the circumstance of continuous innovation, services/software, and single product studies and have synthesized the findings into “the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT)”. Building on the findings in existing literature, this study examines switching motivations in the hitherto unexplored contexts of disruptive innovation, tangible technology products, and multiple product technologies (network externality versus stand-alone technology). Our study extends the UTAUT model by initiating the construct of comparative economic value (CEV), which is posited to be crucial within the study of disruptive innovation. CEV is modeled with three dimensions: comparative superiority, monetary value, and long-term benefit. Based on Thai consumer data, analyses support the hypothesized mediating role of CEV. CEV mediates the effects of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions, and partially mediates the effect of social influence on the DTP switching intent. Multi-group analysis shows that CEV depends more on effort expectancy for network externality technology and more on the performance expectancy for stand-alone technology. The outcomes of this research study show that disruptive technological innovation enables firms to gain significant competitive advantages. Its success depends on whether consumers adopt the DTP. In most cases, DTP adoption requires users to switch from a current product to the DTP. In contrast to continuous innovation, DTP switching involves major sacrifices in addition to benefits. Hence, our study posits that the choice concerning DTP switching engages consumers in a trade-off calculation between the benefits and drawbacks of the disruptive technology compared with those of the current technology. |