Disadoption

The adoption and diffusion of new products and behaviors has been studied extensively and comprehensively (e.g., Rogers 2003). Disadoption — how and why people volitionally stop using products and/or cease certain behaviors (e.g., customer defection, smoking cessation) — by contrast, has received less and more situation-specific attention. This paper presents a general (conceptual) framework for understanding disadoption. Disadoption is defined and delineated from other behavioral discontinuances. Antecedents and consequences of disadoption along with the process behind disadoption are discussed. Directions for research as well as methods to either increase or decrease the likelihood of disadoption are also discussed.