Identification of two decision‐making paths underpinning the continued use of branded apps

Abstract

This study investigates two decision‐making paths that underpin the continued use of branded apps. One path originates from past use of a category of apps and leads to continued use of a branded app from that category via recognition. The second path also starts with past use, but leads to continued use through the evaluation of the app's benefits. Two empirical studies test and subsequently validate the resulting conceptual model, confirming that both paths underpin continued use; however, the strength of the theoretical links varies, and the two paths warrant separate investigation. These outcomes support the generalizability of the proposed model, highlighting its potential as a tool to advance the understanding of consumer decision‐making leading to the continued use of branded apps. The findings of this study also yield practical relevance, especially for the delineation of strategies to enhance the chances of market survival of branded apps.

Examining consumers' continuous usage of multichannel retailers' mobile applications

“…The relationship between the intention towards a behavior in determining the user behavior is well documented in the literature (see Ajzen, 1988, 1991; Davis et al, 1989; Taylor & Todd, 1995b; Venkatesh, Morris, et al, 2003; Venkatesh et al, 2012). Thus, building on previous conceptualizations (e.g., Bellman et al, 2011) and recent work (McLean et al, 2020; Stocchi et al, 2020), we suggest that the continuous usage intention of retail smartphone shopping apps will result in increased usage and purchase frequency. From this perspective, we hypothesize the following:…”

“…Furthermore, McLean et al (2020) while investigating technical functional aspects (e.g., usefulness, ease of use, customization) and the hedonic aspect of enjoyment in the continuous usage context of retail apps, they also examined the role of the consumer's attitude toward the app in influencing the consumer's attitude and loyalty toward the brand. In a related study, Stocchi et al (2020) investigated consumers' past experiences and its role in influencing consumers' continuous intention to use branded apps through two decision‐making paths (i.e., the app recognition path, and the evaluation of utilitarian and hedonic benefits path). More so, Fang (2019) investigated the role of the branded app value‐in‐use in influencing brand competence, brand warmth, the consumer's brand loyalty, and the continuous intention to use the app, while examining factors related to the affordances of mobile apps.…”

“…Recent research is developing our understanding of mobile apps and consumer behavior beyond just offering an overview on the technical aspects (e.g., ease of use, usefulness, and/or enjoyment) that are associated with the technology in motivating consumers to continue to use mobile apps (see Fang, 2019; McLean et al, 2020; Newman et al, 2018; Stocchi et al, 2020). For example, Newman et al (2018) examined the app's ease of use and the role of the consumer's self‐connection (i.e., self‐concept) in motivating the consumer to recommend the retail app, purchase from the retail app, and purchase in‐store.…”

“…However, these traditional brick-and-mortar retailers encounter various substantial challenges caused by the ongoing technological advancements of e-commerce, causing not just changes in consumer behavior (Blázquez, 2014;Peterson et al, 2020;Verhoef et al, 2015), but also to how the retail business is operated (Klaus & Nguyen, 2013;Verhoef et al, 2015). The enhancements in service what contributes to its success, survival, and sustainability in the marketplace (Bhattacherjee, 2001b;Crego & Schiffrin, 1995;Reichheld & Schefter, 2000;Stocchi et al, 2020). In turn, loyal customers can contribute to increasing a firm's value in the marketplace in addition to increasing the brand's customer base by stimulating new more interest towards the brand (Gremler & Brown, 1999).…”

‘Regrettable‐escapism’ the negative effects of mobile app use: A retail perspective

“…Smartphone and mobile app usage has surged further during the Covid-19 global pandemic, seeing an overall increase in smartphone usage by 20%, with spending through apps having increased by 25% from the previous year (App Annie, 2020). Research has found that a prominent reason for such extant use of mobile apps is as a distraction mechanism (Stocchi et al, 2018(Stocchi et al, , 2020. Accordingly, to escape the stresses of everyday life, and to achieve instant forms of gratification, consumers are engaging in escapism behavior, entering a flow state of mind through mobile apps.…”