Enablers and inhibitors of permission-based marketing: A case of mobile coupons

•A comprehensive model of permission-based marketing adoption is developed and tested.•Both negative and positive predictors for mobile marketing adoption are investigated.•Perceived risk and subjective norm are particularly important for consumers with no experience using mobile coupons.•Providing personal information is a barrier to the initial adoption of mobile marketing.

Permission-based marketing is a unique marketing practice that requires consumers' overt consent. Previous studies examined only either positive or negative predictors of adoption of permission-based marketing practices. Thus, the current study proposes and tests both enablers and inhibitors that determine consumers' adoption decision of permissionbased marketing in a context of mobile coupons and aims to provide insights on relative importance of antecedents. A national survey of US consumers (N=611) supported the proposed model. Perceived risk and subjective norm are particularly important for consumers who have never used mobile coupons. Moderating effects of prior experience was also examined. Finding of moderating effects of prior experience in mobile service adoption suggests research implications for future studies.