Examining consumers' continued use of retailers' branded mobile applications

The aim of this research is to expand our understanding of consumers’ continuous usage of traditional retail smartphone branded mobile applications (apps). Previous research in technology acceptance and continuous usage of technological innovations mainly focuses on functional and hedonic variables specifically related to the technology under research. Also, past research typically focuses on the continuous use of e-services reflecting the loyalty of consumers toward a specific e-service (e.g. loyalty toward a website or m-commerce). While this research examines utilitarian and hedonic variables that influence consumers to be satisfied and motivate them to continue to use smartphone branded apps, it finds that variables related to the brand motivate consumers to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Therefore, this research shows that while utilitarian and hedonic variables that are related to the technical characteristics of the technology in use are essential to motivate consumers to continue to use a technological innovation, brand-related variables related to the traditional retailer (e.g. long-term brand reputation and loyalty) are important in motivating consumers to continue to use branded mobile apps. Considering the limited knowledge available on what motivates consumers to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded mobile apps in a multi-channel retail environment, this research adopted a mixed methods approach. The research utilised an exploratory qualitative method in the form of 21 semi-structured individual in-depth interviews conducted in the UK to explore the drivers that motivate consumers to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps and to refine the theoretical model that is tested in the quantitative phase of this research. The quantitative phase utilised an online questionnaire with 1009 consumers who retain and have continued to use traditional retail branded smartphone apps for a period of more than six months from John Lewis, M&S, Next and H&M. This research highlights several findings on what motivates consumers’ satisfaction with the smartphone branded app user experience and the continuous intention to use the app. The findings highlight that the utilitarian variables (perceived ease of use, usefulness, and personalisation), and the hedonic variable (enjoyment) increases consumers’ satisfaction with the branded app user experience leading to an increase in consumers’ continuous intention to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Furthermore, this research finds that utilitarian variables of perceived usefulness, compatibility and the hedonic variable of enjoyment, are capable of influencing consumers to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded apps even when they are not satisfied with the app user experience. Furthermore, this research finds that satisfaction with the app user experience mediates escapism negatively, while escapism also has a significant negative relationship with the continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app. Also, the escapism finding in this study contradicts the previous literature on the usual role of escapism in e-services generally. Furthermore, the subjective norm (e.g. social influence) does not influence the continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app directly or indirectly through satisfaction with the app user experience. Also, this research highlights that consumers’ satisfaction with app user experience significantly increases consumers’ continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app. The findings of this research also highlight that the retailer’s long-term brand reputation and loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer’s brand, which are variables that are not related to the technical characteristics of smartphone branded apps, play an important role in influencing consumers’ intention to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Furthermore, this research finds that loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer mediates the relationship of satisfaction with the branded app user experience to consumers’ continuous intention to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Also, loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer influences the consumers’ continuous intention to use the branded app directly. Interestingly, consumers’ perceptions of long-term reputation of the traditional retail brand do not influence the continuous intention directly as hypothesised. However, long-term brand reputation influences consumers’ continuous intention to use the branded app through the mediated relationship of loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer brand. This research contributes by enhancing our understanding of the variables that influence consumers’ intentions to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded applications. Furthermore, this research presents a theoretical model that provides theoretical implications and offers managerial implications for understanding the continuous usage of smartphone branded apps in a multi-channel retail context.The aim of this research is to expand our understanding of consumers’ continuous usage of traditional retail smartphone branded mobile applications (apps). Previous research in technology acceptance and continuous usage of technological innovations mainly focuses on functional and hedonic variables specifically related to the technology under research. Also, past research typically focuses on the continuous use of e-services reflecting the loyalty of consumers toward a specific e-service (e.g. loyalty toward a website or m-commerce). While this research examines utilitarian and hedonic variables that influence consumers to be satisfied and motivate them to continue to use smartphone branded apps, it finds that variables related to the brand motivate consumers to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Therefore, this research shows that while utilitarian and hedonic variables that are related to the technical characteristics of the technology in use are essential to motivate consumers to continue to use a technological innovation, brand-related variables related to the traditional retailer (e.g. long-term brand reputation and loyalty) are important in motivating consumers to continue to use branded mobile apps. Considering the limited knowledge available on what motivates consumers to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded mobile apps in a multi-channel retail environment, this research adopted a mixed methods approach. The research utilised an exploratory qualitative method in the form of 21 semi-structured individual in-depth interviews conducted in the UK to explore the drivers that motivate consumers to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps and to refine the theoretical model that is tested in the quantitative phase of this research. The quantitative phase utilised an online questionnaire with 1009 consumers who retain and have continued to use traditional retail branded smartphone apps for a period of more than six months from John Lewis, M&S, Next and H&M. This research highlights several findings on what motivates consumers’ satisfaction with the smartphone branded app user experience and the continuous intention to use the app. The findings highlight that the utilitarian variables (perceived ease of use, usefulness, and personalisation), and the hedonic variable (enjoyment) increases consumers’ satisfaction with the branded app user experience leading to an increase in consumers’ continuous intention to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Furthermore, this research finds that utilitarian variables of perceived usefulness, compatibility and the hedonic variable of enjoyment, are capable of influencing consumers to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded apps even when they are not satisfied with the app user experience. Furthermore, this research finds that satisfaction with the app user experience mediates escapism negatively, while escapism also has a significant negative relationship with the continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app. Also, the escapism finding in this study contradicts the previous literature on the usual role of escapism in e-services generally. Furthermore, the subjective norm (e.g. social influence) does not influence the continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app directly or indirectly through satisfaction with the app user experience. Also, this research highlights that consumers’ satisfaction with app user experience significantly increases consumers’ continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app. The findings of this research also highlight that the retailer’s long-term brand reputation and loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer’s brand, which are variables that are not related to the technical characteristics of smartphone branded apps, play an important role in influencing consumers’ intention to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Furthermore, this research finds that loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer mediates the relationship of satisfaction with the branded app user experience to consumers’ continuous intention to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Also, loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer influences the consumers’ continuous intention to use the branded app directly. Interestingly, consumers’ perceptions of long-term reputation of the traditional retail brand do not influence the continuous intention directly as hypothesised. However, long-term brand reputation influences consumers’ continuous intention to use the branded app through the mediated relationship of loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer brand. This research contributes by enhancing our understanding of the variables that influence consumers’ intentions to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded applications. Furthermore, this research presents a theoretical model that provides theoretical implications and offers managerial implications for understanding the continuous usage of smartphone branded apps in a multi-channel retail context

Factors Influencing Smartphone Repurchase

This study is an early attempt to deal with the issue of the long-term performance of smartphones in the Thai market by focusing on the construct of the repeat purchase of these products. The adult users of smartphones are interviewed. The results from the multiple regression analysis reveal that brand reputation, aesthetic value or the beauty of the design, and economic value or fair price, are positively correlated with the repurchase of smartphones, whereas learning about new technologies such as smartphones is negatively correlated with smartphone repurchase

Understanding User Behavioral Intention to Adopt a Search Engine that Promotes Sustainable Water Management

An increase in users’ online searches, the social concern for an efficient management of resources such as water, and the appearance of more and more digital platforms for sustainable purposes to conduct online searches lead us to reflect more on the users’ behavioral intention with respect to search engines that support sustainable projects like water management projects. Another issue to consider is the factors that determine the adoption of such search engines. In the present study, we aim to identify the factors that determine the intention to adopt a search engine, such as Lilo, that favors sustainable water management. To this end, a model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is proposed. The methodology used is the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis with the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS). The results demonstrate that individuals who intend to use a search engine are influenced by hedonic motivations, which drive their feeling of contentment with the search. Similarly, the success of search engines is found to be closely related to the ability a search engine grants to its users to generate a social or environmental impact, rather than users’ trust in what they do or in their results. However, according to our results, habit is also an important factor that has both a direct and an indirect impact on users’ behavioral intention to adopt different search engines

mFish Alpha Pilot: Building a Roadmap for Effective Mobile Technology to Sustain Fisheries and Improve Fisher Livelihoods.

In June 2014 at the Our Ocean Conference in Washington, DC, United States Secretary of State John Kerry announced the ambitious goal of ending overfishing by 2020. To support that goal, the Secretary's Office of Global Partnerships launched mFish, a public-private partnership to harness the power of mobile technology to improve fisher livelihoods and increase the sustainability of fisheries around the world. The US Department of State provided a grant to 50in10 to create a pilot of mFish that would allow for the identification of behaviors and incentives that might drive more fishers to adopt novel technology. In May 2015 50in10 and Future of Fish designed a pilot to evaluate how to improve adoption of a new mobile technology platform aimed at improving fisheries data capture and fisher livelihoods. Full report

Factors affecting smartphone shopping.

In recent years, the telecommunication sector has seen its market-leaders change. Today, the market is headed by 11 manufacturers, even though two main companies hold 42% of the market-share (Samsung and Apple). Furthermore, hundreds of models incorporating new functionalities are launched every year. This research is one of the first attempts to investigate functional evaluation in shopping smartphones and to predict future context of this turbulent market. With the use of 264 surveys of real smartphone owners and users, collected online in the first fortnight of May 2015, and the use of Conjoint Analysis (CA), we highlight major attributes consumers take into consideration in buying smartphones. Results show that consumers who decide to buy a smartphone consider Price, Camera performance, Battery-life and Brand. De facto, we find that, in smartphone shopping, consumers brand awareness is less important than technical characteristics. Notwithstanding, running the CA on subgroups defined by the brand of the smartphone owned, we find different attributes’ relative importance. Results show that Apple owners have a stronger brand awareness than Samsung owners. Implications aim to help manufacturers in developing smartphone features rationalizing invested resources, interpreting preferences of customers and reinforcing competitive advantages

Incentive Mechanisms for Participatory Sensing: Survey and Research Challenges

Participatory sensing is a powerful paradigm which takes advantage of smartphones to collect and analyze data beyond the scale of what was previously possible. Given that participatory sensing systems rely completely on the users' willingness to submit up-to-date and accurate information, it is paramount to effectively incentivize users' active and reliable participation. In this paper, we survey existing literature on incentive mechanisms for participatory sensing systems. In particular, we present a taxonomy of existing incentive mechanisms for participatory sensing systems, which are subsequently discussed in depth by comparing and contrasting different approaches. Finally, we discuss an agenda of open research challenges in incentivizing users in participatory sensing.Comment: Updated version, 4/25/201

A Study to Assess Users’ Preferences for Intelligent Personal Assistance and Improve their Mass Adoption

Despite the dissemination and wide availability of Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPA), such systems have not reached the popularity expected. One reason for this is the users\u27 lack of trust in IPA and their providers. Another reason is the IPA\u27s limited performance and skill set, which in turn is due to the intentional segregation of IPAs in proprietary ecosystems. Enabling IPAs to communicate and exchange data with each other could help IPAs improve performance and thus their acceptance among users. Further, certifications and suitable marketing strategies can also contribute towards their mass adop-tion, by fostering user\u27s trust in IPA and their providers. To better understand the incentives necessary to instigate mass adoption of interoperable IPAs, this paper presents a survey which captures the po-tential users\u27 attitude towards interoperable IPAs and their attitude towards different marketing strate-gies which could increase users’ trust in IPAs. The ultimate purpose of this ongoing research is to develop design recommendations and an efficient incentive system that can foster the mass adoption of IPAs

Customer resistance to tourism innovations: entrepreneurs’ understanding and management strategies

Customer resistance is the greatest risk to innovation for the entrepreneur. The aim of this exploratory study is to provide insights into this underdeveloped area in the tourism innovation literature. A qualitative approach is adopted to understand the resistance experienced by 57 entrepreneurs when introducing their innovations into the market, the causes and the actions taken to minimise resistance. Findings indicate that most entrepreneurs often encounter resistance from sceptical customers, satisfied with their status quo and with no or low appetites for innovation. The analysis reveals two main sources of resistance: the association of the innovations with particular risks, and the customers' lack of understanding of the innovation value. Communication strategies are crucial to decrease the associated risks and for trust building. The paper provides a critical perspective on the challenges faced by innovators, challenges which are often overlooked given the near-iconic status of innovation in studies of economic development.This research has been supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme [grant agreement 700893]

Trust Transfer and the Intention to Use App-enabled Carpooling Service

In China, with the rapid dissemination of mobile communications technology along with congested traffic and increasingly expensive transportation costs, consumers are turning to smartphone-enabled, ride-sharing services. Sharing economy requires trust in strangers. Based on trust transfer theory and a dyadic conceptualization of trust from cognitive to affective, the purpose of this study is to examine trust building through the use of Didi, a third-party, ride-sharing platform that mediates exchanges among strangers