Analysis of versatile customer values impact in m trade on satisfaction and continual usage intent

Abstract

Creating customer value is one of the basic ways to achieve competitive advantage on the market. More and more customers satisfy their need for buying products and services in a digital surroundings. During the last few years, there is an increase in the number of customers who are accessing the digital market using mobile phones and making their purchasing transactions using these devices. The aim of the paper is to analyze the importance of m-commerce within the modern market and values due to which customers use mobile phones in performing transactions within the digital market. Understanding the values important for the customers in m-commerce is needed in order to optimize the performance strategy on the digital market which enables the achievement of competitive advantage. While analyzing different value dimensions it is important to comprehend its influence onto customer satisfaction. The empirical part of the paper uses a research model containing six variables (functional, price, comparative, epistemological value, satisfaction and the intention to continuously use m-commerce). Thereby, every variable is measured using several statements which have been retrieved from relevant literature, while the respondents have expressed their level of concordance with the given statements using a seven point Likert scale. Data have been collected on the territory of Belgrade, using a sample of 402 respondents. Data analysis first tested the model reliability and validity, and afterwards the significance and effect strength of the four dimensions of the perceived value on customer satisfaction, as well as the relationship between satisfaction and the intention to continuously use m-commerce. The reliability of every model variable has been estimated based on the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. By using the confirmatory factor analysis, the model concordance has been tested, as well as convergent and discriminatory validity. In order to measure the relations between the model variables a model of structural equations has been used. The results have shown that the functional and price value stand out as the key drivers of m-commerce users satisfaction. Obviously, the benefits, as well as price savings offered by the mobile payment systems are the main generators of user satisfaction. Additionally, the study confirms the strong significant influence of satisfaction onto the intention to continuously use mobile phones in order to realize different payments and to perform shopping. The contribution of the realized study can be seen in the analysis of four dimensions of perceived value and the measurement of their influence onto satisfaction on the example of mobile service users. Globally seen, the paper follows the behavior of customers in a new digital surroundings. A very few empirical research have been realized in the Republic of Serbia with the aim to test the relations between the mentioned variables when it comes to using m-commerce. The originality of the suggested model can be seen in the unique combination of the value dimensions, since apart from the two standard dimensions (functional and price value), the model contains the two specific value dimensions: comparative and epistemological value.