Mobile Apps in Retail: Determinants of Consumer Acceptance – A Systematic Review

Abstract

With the increasing relevance of smartphones, more and more companies are trying to use mobile apps for their business purposes. At the same time, the digital transformation and online trade are putting increasing pressure on the stationary retail trade. Many retailers are therefore looking for ways to use mobile apps to attract new customers or retain existing ones. With the growing number of mobile apps in the app marketplaces, the sustainable loyalty of app users is becoming an increasing challenge. For retailers, the question arises as to which determinants influence consumer acceptance of mobile apps in retail. From an initial 44,800 search results at Google Scholar, 18 scientific papers are analyzed in a qualitative synthesis by means of a systematic review based on the PRISMA schema. In general, perceived value, practical benefits and user-friendliness are identified as determinants. In addition, the importance of linking the mobile app to the stationary POS and the function of mobile apps in retail more as digital shopping assistants and less as online stores is highlighted. The retailer who publishes the app itself also plays an important role in the consumer acceptance of the app.

Classification of Mobile App Users in Multi-Channel Retail—an Exploratory Analysis

“…In multi-channel retailing, this means that an app should offer more functionality than pure online shopping [13], [30]. There is evidence that consumers want to use mobile apps in retail as digital shopping assistants [12].…”

“…In multi-channel retail, apps can be differentiated according to whether they function primarily as an online store or as a digital shopping assistant for stationary shopping [12], [13]. Other distinctions also exist, such as between money-saver apps, shopping-convenience apps, and loyalty apps [14].…”

Acceptance of mobile loyalty cards in the German B2C consumer goods market

“…Another intangible incentive is the communication and interaction function, which offers consumers the opportunity to find out about points, products, and price offers and the means to exchange information with the supplier [Prein, 2011]. The mobile loyalty card offers a supplement to the stationary POS and is highlighted here as a shopping assistant [Wohllebe et al, 2020]. The status function shows the consumer's affiliation to a program.…”

Application of the User Centered Design Framework – Case Study Using the Example of an AR Feature for a Mobile Shopping App

“…Opportunities such as AR-based dressing rooms in stationary retail are currently hardly widespread (Deckert & Wohllebe, 2021, p. 20). At the same time, AR, especially when integrated into a smartphone app, is shown to have high potential for increasing customer satisfaction (McLean & Wilson, 2019;Wohllebe et al, 2020). AR use by consumers is expected to increase significantly in the coming years and become an essential part of the mobile ecosystem (Gentemann et al, 2018).…”