Exploring user behaviours on mobile technologies combined with payment functions during the COVID-19 pandemic

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Information Management, specialization in Information TechnologiesWith the extensive spread of smart mobile devices, mobile technologies and services have revolutionised and pervaded significantly in most aspects of human life, such as social communication, commerce, entertainment, etc. Various industries have integrated services and products with mobile financial transaction technologies, facilitating the payment services combined with various mobile applications. The wide adoption of mobile transactions has increased the efficiency of transaction processes, met the expectations of customers and the requirements of enterprises, and supported the social-economic development in different scenarios, especially under the pandemic situation. Understanding mobile device users’ perceptions and behaviours on mobile technologies combining payment functions under the COVID-19 pandemic situation has reinforced the need to embark on a deeper investigation of customer behaviours during the pandemic. For these reasons, this study contributes to the advancement of knowledge and implementation methods for a better understanding of the determinants of customers’ behavioural intentions of using mobile technologies combined with payment functions in a total of seven separate studies. The investigation begins with a systematic literature review on mobile payment studies presented in chapter two. This research is augmented by investigating users’ continuance usage intention of mobile payments under the COVID-19 pandemic in chapter three. The fourth chapter analyses the determinants of continuance usage intention of food delivery apps during the pandemic. Chapters five and six present two theoretical development studies about the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and UTAUT2, respectively. The seventh chapter investigates customers’ psychological shopping processes via live-streaming shopping apps during the pandemic lockdown period. In epistemological terms, this study involved conjoint positivist and interpretivist research in behavioural information systems research. A qualitative research method was applied in chapters two, five and six, and a quantitative research method was implemented in the third, fourth and seventh chapters. The main theoretical foundations applied and validated in three empirical studies were UTAUT and UTAUT2. Specifically, chapter three integrates UTAUT with Mental Accounting Theory, the fourth chapter combines UTAUT with the Expectancy Confirmation Model, and chapter seven integrates UTAUT2 with the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework and Flow theory. This study found that performance expectancy, social influence, and trust significantly affect users’ behavioural intentions in all three empirical studies. Customers’ mental cognitions, such as perceived benefits, satisfaction, flow and perceived value, positively formulate users’ behavioural intention in the three studies, respectively. Hedonic motivation and flow significantly influence users' behavioural intention when mobile technologies contain payment and entertainment features. Moreover, this study contributes several theoretical and practical implications. This study facilitates the advancement of knowledge of mobile technologies adoption through three verified theoretical frameworks and two proposed developed theoretical models and appropriate measurement methods. Meanwhile, this study supports relevant stakeholders in mobile technologies, enterprises, policymakers, service providers, and marketing departments with valuable findings and discussions for comprehensively understanding the determinants of customers’ behaviours on mobile technologies combined payment function

Expanding Glovo concepts through multi-app model adoption: a study on the delivery sector, in the context of Glovo Portugal

Mobile commerce, and the online delivery business, have been growing, and since covid-19, there is a necessity to understand and adapt to the consumer’s new habits. This study is performed in the Portuguese context, contemplating the delivery scenery, with the goal of suggesting a model implementation for Glovo. The subject under examination is Glovo Concepts. It consists of a franchise business, where Glovo operates its own brands from its partners’ facilities. It is a shared-revenue partnership, where Glovo receives a commission over the sold orders, and the restaurant a margin over it. To understand the consumer behaviour, this study will be based on technological adoption models and previous research on the online delivery context. Additionally, a quantitative survey was conducted to retrieve concrete data for management purposes. A selection of the targeted audience was done through Looker, and later, data was gathered through Qualtrics, and analysis was achieved using Google Sheets and IBM SPSS Statistics 26 software. The intent is to discover if expanding operations for other platforms besides Glovo is beneficial, contemplating the additional number of orders, gross merchandising value, and main advantages and challenges that can come with it. Ultimately, it is observed that joining Uber Eats, the number one player in Portugal can be beneficial in terms of, not only the number of orders, but also brand recognition, familiarity, and awareness. This way, Glovo Concepts would be present in the two strongest players in Portugal, enjoying each one’s client base and partners’ perks like communication and interface.O m-commerce, e o delivery, têm vindo a crescer, e desde a pandemia, o comportamento do consumidor alterou-se. Este estudo é realizado no contexto português, com o objectivo de sugerir a implementação de um modelo para a Glovo. O tema em análise é a Glovo Concepts, um negócio do tipo franchisado, onde a Glovo opera as suas próprias marcas a partir das instalações dos seus parceiros. Consiste numa parceria de lucros partilhados, onde a Glovo recebe uma comissão sobre as encomendas vendidas, e o restaurante uma margem. Para compreender o comportamento do consumidor, este estudo será baseado em modelos de adoção tecnológica e estudos prévios sobre as aplicações de delivery. Adicionalmente, é realizado um estudo quantitativo para recolher dados concretos para fins de gestão. Foi feita uma selecção do público-alvo através do Looker, os dados foram recolhidos através da Qualtrics, e a análise realizada utilizando o Google Sheets e o IBM SPSS Statistics 26. O objectivo é descobrir se expandir operações para outras plataformas é benéfico, contemplando o número adicional de encomendas, valor bruto de vendas, e as principais vantagens e desafios que podem advir. Finalmente, observa-se que a adesão à Uber Eats, o número um em Portugal, pode ser benéfica não só em termos do número de encomendas, mas também em termos de reconhecimento da marca, familiaridade, e notoriedade. Desta forma, a Glovo Concepts estaria presente nos dois competidores mais fortes em Portugal, desfrutando da base de clientes e regalias de cada um deles, como comunicação e interface

Understanding The Growth Of Takeaway Food Apps in The UK: A Supplier and Consumer Perspective

This research investigates the development, use and consumer acceptance of online takeaway food ordering (OTFO) apps in the UK. Although the online takeaway food ordering sector is well-established, it continues to improve services by bringing new technology and innovation in the sector. Among the latest technologies introduced into the sector is the development of takeaway apps. Given the recent developments and advancements in technology, there is limited evidence on how consumers view and use takeaway apps. In addition, the development and operation of the sector has so far received little attention in the academic literature. To develop a more in-depth understanding of this new technology and its adoption, the study employed a mixed methods approach. The first approach adopted a case study perspective to investigate the growth of technology within one organisation. The second approach focused on consumer acceptance of the technology through conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 12) and a questionnaire survey (n = 150). The findings from this study suggest that organisations that supply takeaway apps tend to adopt innovation to improve business growth and ensure customer satisfaction. The best way for the organisation to encourage consumers to adopt the new technology was evidenced through the marketing mix such as through television advertisements. Although organisations have been active in promoting the apps, there are still insufficient information of consumer perception of how the technology. Through investigating the consumer perspective, it was revealed that the consumer perceived the use of takeaway apps similar to purchasing takeaway food. To understand consumer acceptance of takeaway apps, the study used the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by studying perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived trust, perceived risk security and perceived social influence on the intention to use and actual use of the apps. This study contributes to the emerging body of knowledge on the online takeaway food ordering sector. In addition, it has an applied contribution in contributing to the development of new theory in the technology influence on university student takeaway food purchase and the acceptance of takeaway food apps

Envisaging AR travel revolution for visiting heritage sites:A mixed-method approach

Augmented Reality (AR) offers transformative potential for augmenting and replacing realities within a wide range of business and social applications. Within this, this study explores antecedents of behavioral adoption of AR mobile travel apps to visit a heritage site by substituting in-person and corporeal tourism experiences through a visualization technique that overlays 3D simulated architecture in front of a user. This research specifically investigates the collective impact of perceived app attributes of the AR service model, and critical characteristics of users in terms of their underlying psychological predispositions impacting their behavioral intention to use AR travel apps for heritage tourism in an emerging nation. In pursuance of this, we adopt a unique mixed-method research methodology where industry experts and travel enthusiasts are invited to delve into the phenomenon and identify facilitators of AR mobile app adoption for heritage tourism in India. Empirical findings find that experiential authenticity, service quality, and user innovativeness are the significant underlying factors expediting the use of AR mobile apps. Additionally, with a focus on the sustainability aspect of AR tourism, this study considers sustainability within travel. This construct is critical since it discerns how it affects the boundary conditions in the light of consumers' personality characteristics for determining intention to use AR apps, thereby providing insightful inferences for the tourism industry and research.</p

Religion and brand activism: Faith-based segments in the UK and their engagement in boycotting behaviour.

At present, brand activism has become an emerging marketing strategy for companies who aim to distinguish themselves in a fragmented marketplace by publicly addressing social and political issues. In a bid to foster loyalty and nurture lifelong customers, brands are aligning their values with meaning causes to spark change and inspire action. However, several brands have faced criticism or faced boycotts because of their decisions to support contentious causes. The contrasting positions adopted by brands such as Huda Beauty and McDonald's Israel amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict serve as a notable example. Existing works have focused on consumer motives for, responses to, and the effectiveness of brand boycotting. Also examined is the role of consumer affinity and animosity play in the context of boycotting campaigns. In addition to this, social media has simplified the process for activists to connect with a broader audience and garner more substantial support for their causes. With this said, the impact of religious animosity on people's attitudes toward macro boycotts is said to be culturally dependent. Yet, little research was located on the boycotting behaviour of faith-based segment in secular societies like the UK. Thus, the purpose of the paper is to examine the impact religion (and religious commitment) has on faith-based segments when boycotting brands. The objectives of the paper are threefold. First, to uncover individual motives and expectations (i.e., from personal views to social expectations). Second, identify their engagement and participation (i.e., communication, product, purchase and response) in boycotts online and offline. Third, to understand how faith-based segment perceive or measure the success of their boycotts (i.e., business impact vs. society impact). The study will encompass followers of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and Sikhism, and includes respondents with no religious affiliation. variations will be assessed among religion and religiosity group, with the latter being measured through two dimensions (i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic). The implication of this research enables companies to understand the mechanism of consumer boycotting behaviour in instances of brand activism

Analysing the Adoption of awesome South Africa mobile travel application as a marketing strategy

Mobile Marketing is a critical marketing strategy and a foundation of competitive advantage for small to medium enterprises in the tourism and hospitality industry in South Africa. While many studies focus on mobile marketing, this study focuses on the adoption of mobile marketing innovations by small to medium enterprises in the tourism and hospitality industry in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Analysing the adoption of Awesome South Africa mobile application, as a marketing strategy among SMEs in the Western Cape tourism and hospitality industry was therefore imperative to understand the factors that influence mobile marketing adoption. The objective was to find out the factors that contribute to the adoption of mobile marketing as well as the factors that would impede the adoption of mobile marketing by the SMEs in this industry. The research employed the Technology Acceptance Model as a theoretical framework as well as a guide in ascertaining the factors that affect the adoption of mobile marketing innovations among SMEs. There is certainty that the Awesome South Africa mobile travel application could partly solve the information asymmetry problem as well as the marketing challenges of the SMEs in the Western Cape Tourism and hospitality industry. An exploratory design was deployed in this study, resulting in the application of a qualitative research approach for data collection, analysis and interpretation. Both content and thematic data analyses were used in this study because data was collected from multiple sources that included reports and face-toface interviews. The research findings showed that the TAM provides a reasonable explanation of the factors that influence technology acceptance amongst SMEs. Perceived usefulness, perceived cost, perceived competitive pressure and perceived employee capability emerged as the significant factors that simultaneously influenced mobile marketing adoption among SMEs. Factors impeding the adoption of mobile marketing application by the SMEs included perceived high cost of adoption, lack of managerial support, employee incompetence, limited financial resources and perceived complexity of the mobile marketing innovations. The recommendation was that the Awesome South Africa mobile application innovators should capitalise on the TAM constructs in order to realise the adoption of their mobile application among SMEs in the Western Cape tourism and hospitality industry

Effectiveness of branded mobile apps on brand loyalty among Generation Y consumers

A dissertation submitted in full fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of the Master of Commerce, School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, December 2016The increasing level of consumer engagement with smartphones and tablets or ipods, and the proliferation of mobile applications in recent years have seen a rapid growth in branded apps. Marketers are creating branded mobile apps as a brand communication channel to attract new customers and potentially increase brand loyalty among current customers. Previous research has measured initial adoption or intention to adopt branded apps rather than continuance adoption. In South Africa, few studies have explored adoption of branded apps among generation Y consumers. To fill this gap, this research aims to determine the effectiveness of branded mobile apps in driving brand loyalty among generation Y consumers. To achieve this goal, the research uses Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT) to explore the factors influencing satisfaction, continuance adoption of branded apps and brand loyalty. Using a quantitative research approach, a total of 406 valid self-administered questionnaires were collected by survey method, and structural equation modelling was employed in the data analysis. The results indicate that confirmation of expectations–functional value, social value and satisfaction significantly influence brand loyalty. When consumers confirmed expectations of branded apps, it directly led to positive perceptions of value and satisfaction. Consumer satisfaction was a significant driver of behavioural loyalty. Results also suggested that consumer confirmation of expectations and perceptions of value impacted on continuance intention indirectly through satisfaction. Perceived functional value was found to be an important direct booster of consumer’s decisions and behaviour to continue using branded apps, while social value was found to be an inhibitor of continuance intention. The relationship between continuance intention and brand loyalty was insignificant. Continuance intention was simply an intermediate response following satisfaction with prior usage. This study therefore confirmed and extended the (ECT), that satisfaction with a product or service was a prerequisite for establishing continuance intention and brand loyalty among consumers.XL201