Unveiling the Technology Readiness and Financing Preferences of MSME Owners in Padang City: Implications for Designing Effective Educational Interventions to Foster Innovation Adoption

Abstract

This study aims to assess the Technology Readiness Index (TRI) among Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Padang city and classify user technology based on their technology readiness using the K-Means clustering technique. The TRI 2.0 model was employed to measure the technology readiness of 371 MSME owners who participated in the research. The findings revealed that the average TRI score was at a medium level (3.06). K-means clustering identifies five distinct user groups: explorers (24%), paranoids (31%), pioneers (12%), skeptics (12%), and laggards (21%). Interestingly, only 9% of the total respondents expressed an interest in utilizing Fintech Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending as a financing source, which aligns with the higher numbers of paranoids, skeptics, and laggards, indicating their slower adoption of new technologies.