So-called pro-poor innovations may improve consumer well-being in subsistence marketplaces. However, little research has integrated subsistence marketplaces with the vast literature on innovation adoption. Using a questionnaire in which respondents were asked to evaluate a mobile banking innovation, this research fills this gap by providing empirical evidence of the applicability of existing innovation adoption models in subsistence marketplaces. The study was conducted in Bangladesh among a geographically dispersed sample. The data collected allowed for an empirical comparison of models in a subsistence context. The research reveals the most useful models in this context to be the value-based adoption model and the consumer acceptance of technology model. In light of these findings and further examination of the model comparison results, the research also shows that consumers in subsistence marketplaces are not motivated only by functionality and economic needs. If organizations cannot enhance the hedonic attributes of a pro-poor innovation and reduce the internal/external constraints related to adoption of that innovation, then consumers’ adoption intention will be lower.
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