Comparative analysis of innovative diffusion in the high-tech markets of Japan and South Korea: a use–diffusion model approach

In recent years, many scholars and practitioners have raised doubt as to whether or not conventional research on the diffusion of innovation can explain and predict the needs and behavioral patterns of consumers in the raiding and converging market environment. Thus, it has been suggested that the use–diffusion model would be a good alternative framework to study innovation diffusion. This study explores whether the new model is effective in explaining and predicting the needs and innovative behavioral patterns of consumers in the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) market in Japan and South Korea. Nation-wide surveys were conducted in Japan and South Korea for data collection, resulting in a large random sample (n = 500 in Japan and n = 500 in South Korea). Important findings of the study are: (1) product experience and sophistication of technology were found to be the most important factors in explaining the innovative diffusion process among IPTV users; (2) functional similarity, complementarity, and substitution effect were also main determinants for enhancing users’ satisfaction with IPTV services; (3) complexity and relative advantage were crucial measures of IPTV’s current technological level, functional performance, and quality with regard to services; and (4) a comparative analysis of diffusion patterns of IPTV between Japan and South Korea indicated that IPTV users in Japan appeared to be still in the phase of early adopters, while South Korean users have gone beyond to the phase of early majority in the adoption cycle.     

Customer behavioural intentions towards mobile money services adoption in Ghana

This study examined the determinants of mobile money service usage intentions and assessed the effect of social influence (SI) on mobile money services adoption and behavioural intentions (BIs). The sample of the study comprised 300 mobile money service users in Ghana. Guided by the conceptual framework and two theories identified to have an effect on technology adoption and consumer behaviour, eight hypotheses were developed and tested using Structural Equation Modelling Techniques. It is discovered that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived trust and perceived cost of use have a strong influence on mobile money service usage. The study found SI to have a significant effect on the adoption and BI. Providers ensure that their mobile application services are simple to operate, fulfil specific consumers’ needs, protect consumers’ accounts to ensure trust and are affordable, hence positively influencing consumers’ adoption of services.     

The effects of consumer perceived value and subjective norm on mobile data service adoption between American and Korean consumers

The effects of consumer perceived value and subjective norm on using mobile data services between American and Korean consumers were examined to explain the differences and similarities in consumer mobile data service adoption behavior in this study. The antecedent effects of four dimensions of consumer perceived value showed different behavioral intention to use mobile data services between the two countries. Emotional value was found to be the most significant effect on using mobile data services for consumers in the two countries. Subjective norm was a significant antecedent of attitude and behavioral intention to use mobile data services for American consumers, but it was not evident for Korean consumers.     

The rise of smart consumers: role of smart servicescape and smart consumer experience co-creation

ABSTRACT

Rapid technological advancements have led to the emergence of smart services and smart consumers. This study focuses on smart consumers who voluntarily engage in value creation activities, in order to conceptualise smart experience co-creation (SEC) and the smart servicescape. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, a model is proposed and tested around the impacts of smart servicescape dimensions (aesthetics, superior functionality, social presence, perceived interactivity and perceived personalisation) on smart consumer experience co-creation. SEC is conceptualised as a second-order construct consisting of cognitive, hedonic, social/personal, and pragmatic/economic first-order dimensions. Results show that the technological environmental cues of the smart servicescape (S) collectively influence smart experience co-creation (O), and this co-created experience eventually influences consumers’ service brand equity and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions (R). A major novelty of this study lies in uncovering the relationship between experience co-creation and service brand equity. Findings have theoretical and managerial implications for smart services.     

How mobile augmented reality applications affect continuous use and purchase intentions: A cognition-affect-conation perspective

Augmented reality (AR) is rapidly gaining attention in practice, and research as the adoption of smartphones and technological advancements persist. The focus of current literature on AR has been on its use for improving visual and display quality. However, limited guidance is offered on how consumers evaluate their experience and how that, in turn, influences their behaviors, especially in the smartphone context. This study seeks to extend this line of research by applying the cognition-affect-conation framework to examine how mobile augmented reality (MAR) experiences shape the consumer decision-making process. Data collected from 316 users in the United States were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that consumers’ cognitive evaluation of MAR applications stimulates their affective reactions, which eventually create conative behaviors. Thus, this study offers an integrated perspective for investigating continuous use and purchase intentions jointly in one research model. In addition, it examines how perceived value, a cognitive trait variable, influences consumer conative responses directly and indirectly through affective responses. The results confirm the relationships proposed in the cognition-affect-conation framework and empirically support the direct and indirect influence of perceived value on conative efforts in the MAR context. The findings contribute to AR theory building, application design, and marketing strategy development.     

The Advertising Association's Index of Press Cover Prices

This paper examines the differences between American young consumers and their Korean counterparts’ interests in accepting SMS advertising via their mobile phones. The appeal of using the mobile phone as an advertising medium is its accessibility because it can pinpoint the locations of mobile phone users. The results of the study provide preliminary evidence that consumers’ attitudes and beliefs do have significant positive relationships with intentions to opt in to the new medium. The theoretical model for the study is based on employing the theory of reasoned action as the underlying structure to operationalise the conceptual constructs proposed in the diffusion theory. The study identifies the potential of a new research domain in advertising, presents a conceptual framework for its examination and suggests the importance of constructs under study.     

Beyond the technology adoption: Technology readiness effects on post-adoption behavior

Technology readiness (TR) refers to people's propensity to embrace and use new technologies. Nowadays, the proliferation of technology-based products and services brings consumers not only benefits but also frustration over ineffective use of products and services. A key factor, therefore, in the diffusion and success of these products and services is how well-prepared consumers are for new technologies. Although some studies examine the relationships between TR and technology adoption, the long-term survival and substantial success of firms rely on the continued use of such technology rather than first use. This study focuses on post-adoption behavior and investigates how TR affects the continued use intention of new technology. Specifically, the study classifies usage behavior into the usage rate of basic functions, the usage rate of innovative functions, and the variety of use of innovative functions. The article then, examines how each dimension (optimism, innovativeness, discomfort and insecurity) of TR influences consumer usage patterns, and how usage patterns affect repurchase intention through consumer satisfaction. The empirical results from IPTV users in Korea show that each dimension of TR has a significantly different influence on usage patterns. The findings show that usage patterns, particularly the use of innovative functions, have a significantly positive impact on consumer satisfaction and repurchase intention. Finally, the article suggests several managerial implications and directions for further studies.     

Technology acceptance modeling of augmented reality at the point of sale: Can surveys be replaced by an analysis of online reviews?

Online reviews by users have become an increasingly important source of information. This is true not only for new users of goods or services, but also for their producers. They extend the insight into the acceptance of new goods and services, e.g. at the point of sale, from a mere sales and usage quantity oriented point of view to a cause and effect oriented one. Since online reviews by consumers of many goods and services are nowadays widespread and easily available on the internet, the question arises whether their analysis can replace the more traditional approaches to measure technology acceptance, e.g., using questionnaires with TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) items. This paper tries to answer this question using IKEA׳s mobile catalogue app as an example. For comparisons reasons, data on the acceptance of the current version of this catalogue is collected in four different ways, (1) as answers to batteries of TAM items, (2) as assignments to pre-defined adjective pairs, (3) as textual likes and dislikes of users (simulating online reviews), and (4) as publicly available (real) reviews by users. The source for (1)–(3) is a survey with a sample of respondents, the source for (4) an online forum. The data is analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) for TAM modeling and text mining for pre-processing the textual data. The results are promising: it seems that data collection via surveys can be replaced – with some reservations – by the analysis of publicly available (real) online reviews.     

Are You Still with Us? A Study of the Post-Adoption Determinants of Sustained Use of Mobile-Banking Services

This research develops and empirically tests a theoretical model that explains sustained use of mobile banking services. While an extensive array of research has examined various theoretical antecedents of the intention to adopt and use new technologies, only a handful of studies have examined the extent of current usage of a system. Moreover, despite the huge market potential of and recent technological advancements seen in the mobile-commerce market, little is known about the factors that can influence sustained use of integrated mobile financial services after adoption. The present research examines the extent of mobile banking service usage of 370 Korean mobile-baking users in the post-adoption stage. The results of the study indicate that perceived usability, channel preference, and perceived value are three major determinants of sustained mobile banking use. The model further extends and explains that good menu design is a dominant factor in perceived usability of m-banking services, while low monetary costs (i.e., charges and fees) and provision of various banking functions can improve m-banking users' perception of the value of m-banking services. Along with the suggested model, the presented case of factors promoting successful m-banking services will help many mobile industries around the world envisage a successful and stable mobile–financial services market and accelerate their development. Implications of the findings and future research directions are also discussed.     

How social distance affects the intention and behavior of collaborative consumption: A study based on online car-hailing service

In recent years, advances in mobile communications technology have enabled collaborative consumption or product sharing between consumers on a large scale. Unlike traditional consumption, collaborative consumption is based on collaboration among individuals, so that the decision-making mechanisms of individual consumers may be different from those in traditional consumption scenarios. The current study focuses on how the social distance between consumers and drivers affects collaborative consumption intention in the case of online car-hailing services. In this study, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) is used as the foundational framework, and we innovatively add the concept of social distance to the TPB to form a new, and integrated model. We test the model based on data collected from 315 online car-hailing users. The results shows that behavioral attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, positively influence collaborative consumption intention and behavior. More interestingly, we find that social distance has both direct and indirect impacts on collaborative consumption intention: The greater the social distance, the lower the collaborative consumption intention. Moreover, social distance also moderates the influence of subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on collaborative consumption intention. To be specific, the influence of subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on collaborative consumption intention is weakened when consumers perceive less social distance. The results suggest that the integrated model has a stronger explanatory power on collaborative consumption behavior. This study enhances the traditional TPB model and offers insight into promoting collaborative consumption in the context of the sharing economy.     

Feel the VIBE: Examining value-in-the-brand-page-experience and its impact on satisfaction and customer engagement behaviours in mobile social media

A critical issue for marketing managers is how best to orchestrate branded social media consumption experiences via mobile applications. This is important because in a mobile first world, these experiences are perceived to be valuable to consumers which in turn facilitate positive consumer behaviour toward the brand. So far, marketing literature offering managerial guidance on this issue remains limited. To this end, this study investigates for the first-time consumer perceptions of ‘Value-In-The-Brand-Page-Experience’ (VIBE), a multidimensional construct, in an emerging market setting of China. China represents an appropriate contextual condition to study given its high mobile penetration and its integration within consumer's lifestyle. This study further examines the impact of VIBE on customer satisfaction and customer engagement behaviours toward the brand via a survey of 714 Chinese consumers. The results substantiate the VIBE framework which contributes to the sparse conceptual development of value perceptions in mobile social media. Furthermore, it confirms the existence of a value–satisfaction–customer engagement behaviour chain. The findings are managerially relevant and focus on leveraging the components of VIBE. These components act as key mechanisms for unlocking customer satisfaction and customer engagement behaviours for brands in the domain of mobile social media.     

Consumer acceptance of the mobile Internet

Technological innovations are often designed to help consumers save time. However, some consumers refuse to use innovations and downgrade their usability with increasing usage time. The purpose of this research is to find out how consumers?? personality in younger (vs. older) men (vs. women) affects behavioral choices of the mobile Internet, as an example of new technology, and how usage time affects perceived ease of use of innovative (vs. established) media. The study shows that innovativeness, low desire for social contact, and technology optimism, in interaction with demographics, determine whether consumers choose mobile Internet services over substitutes. Job-related dependency on technology and gender directly affect choice behavior. The study reveals that ease of use is downgraded as more time is spent using the mobile Internet, whereas there is no such relation for established media. The results help explain overoptimistic forecasts that were made in the field of technology acceptance.     

The impact of customer cognitive competence on online service decision-making: an event-related potentials perspective

Customer service online decision-making is subject to the perception of service value based on the interaction between customer cognition and emotion. The study reported in this paper examines the impact of customer cognitive competence on the online service perceived value. Thirty participants were divided into high- and low-cognitive-competence groups based on their responses on the service value perception survey. During the experiment, both groups were shown services that were available for online purchase. Changes in cognitive and emotional late positive potential (LPP) in the occipital and central–parietal region were recorded. In comparison with the customer sacrifice and customer benefit, the service value may elicit greater emotional LPP components in the central–parietal region and shorter cognitive LPPs in the occipital region in the group with high cognitive competence. Our findings present a potential neural mechanism for the impact of consumer cognitive competence on service value perception and decision-making, which may encourage the managers to improve service quality and guide the research of customer behavior and marketing.     

The evaluation factors of adopting SoLoMo services: the hybrid fuzzy MCDM approach

SoLoMo services are emerging mobile services, which combine different software and hardware techniques, enabling users to obtain location-based information at any time and place as well as exchange, interact, and communicate messages with other people in real time. Since SoLoMo services contain two types of the most widely used mobile applications, different users might have different needs for and expectations on these services. This study proposed a three-stage hybrid fuzzy multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) model and applied fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) to analyze, from an angle of integral SoLoMo services, the critical factors evaluated by users in adopting SoLoMo services. In addition, this study also discussed how the users make their choices after they have weighed between the privacy consideration and the use of complete SoLoMo services. The analysis results reported that popularity degree of service, information accuracy of service, privacy risk, maintaining affection and friendship with others, and location-based store information search are the top five ones among these critical positive and negative factors considered by users while adopting SoLoMo services. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that for achieving information accuracy of service, location-based store information search, and maintaining affection and friendship with others, SoLoMo service users would tolerate more privacy risk.     

A Cashless Society for All: Determining Consumers’ Readiness to Adopt Mobile Payment Services

ABSTRACT

The technology readiness index was applied to determine consumers’ readiness to adopt mobile payment services and the moderating effect of gender. Gender has been identified as a key variable in adoption and its vital role in market segmentation and gender empowerment obliges its inclusion. The results of the regression analysis indicate that convenience and compatibility drive consumers’ adoption whereas risk, cost and insecurity are inhibitors. Furthermore, gender moderates only the relationship between convenience and the adoption of mobile payment services. Given the moderating effect of gender, companies should initiate advertising campaigns targeting women opinion leaders in advertisements, which can in turn encourage and educate other women to enjoy the convenience of mobile payments. Results provide insights on how to increase adoption and reduce the gender gap in mobile payment services.     

Consumer–retailer love and attachment: Antecedents and personality moderators

Because loyalty to services remains elusive and unpredictable, there is a need to study consumer relationships with firms apart from the established satisfaction–loyalty chain approach. To that end, the present paper investigates feelings of attachment and love through two empirical consumer studies of two different grocery retailer brands. The findings of the current study imply that retail store image, perceived transactional value, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations positively influence consumer–retailer love levels. Furthermore, we find that for consumers scoring low on the value of warm relationships with others and for consumers characterized by an avoidant attachment style, the effect of consumer–retailer love on re-patronage intentions is less salient. Interestingly, in the case of highly avoidant individuals, the effect of consumer–retailer love is negative. Managerial implications for building consumer-firm love in the context of grocery retail, as well as future research perspectives, are provided at the end of the paper.     

Competing Online: Studying Consumer Choice Drivers for Online Financial Services

ABSTRACT

Given the rapid increase in the consumer use of online services and the increase in competition between firms that compete online, firms are faced with a crucial challenge. Having invested significant resources in transitioning consumers from using offline services to using online services, they now need to understand what drives consumers to choose between competing online services. Our study seeks an exploratory answer to the above challenge. Specifically, we consider, “what role do factors that drive consumers into using online services play in assisting firms better compete in the online space?” This paper explores the above question by quantifying the value that consumers of an online financial service place on having access to in-depth product information, an affordable online service, an easy to use online service, access to offline capabilities, and available marketing promotions. The results reported in this paper are based on a web-based discrete choice experiment in which 2,209 consumers were asked to compare various online financial service offerings, differing from each other in terms of the relative availability of our critical factors. The results demonstrate that consumer preferences (relative utilities) for various factors of an online financial service are different. Our results enable practicing managers to understand the factors that drive consumer choice when faced with competing online services. We believe that these results have both managerial and research implications for design, management and operations strategy formulation for online services.     

Building Mobile Brand Equity: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Values

This research tests the mediational roles of hedonic and utilitarian values consumers receive from using mobile data services (MDS) on the relationship between mobile commerce experience and mobile provider brand equity. A theoretical model was developed based on a review of the existing literature, and a survey was developed to test the model using a sample of 371 students in major universities in Jordan. The structural findings showed that MDS experience positively influence MDS provider image, which positively influenced both utilitarian and hedonic values, the effect being stronger for the utilitarian value. Moreover, both types of perceived values from using the MDS fully mediate the effect of MDS provider image on mobile equity.     

An assessment of value creation in mobile service delivery and the moderating role of time consciousness

This study focuses on the perceived utilitarian value of a new service delivery mode, the mobile channel. The authors develop a framework that incorporates three mode-specific benefits - time convenience, user control, and service compatibility - as well as two costs - perceived risk and cognitive effort - as antecedents of perceived value. Because of the pervasiveness of time criticality as a value-added characteristic of the mobile channel, they also investigate the moderating influence of consumers’ time consciousness. They empirically investigate the model using mobile brokerage services as an illustrative application. The results reveal that the identified antecedents, with the exception of service compatibility, have a strong impact on mobile channel value perceptions, which in turn influence behavioral intentions. The authors also find that time consciousness moderates the aforementioned relationships.     

Electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms: What motivates consumers to articulate themselves on the Internet?

Through Web-based consumer opinion platforms (e.g., epinions.com), the Internet enables customers to share their opinions on, and experiences with, goods and services with a multitude of other consumers; that is, to engage in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication. Drawing on findings from research on virtual communities and traditional word-of-mouth literature, a typology for motives of consumer online articulation is developed. Using an online sample of some 2,000 consumers, information on the structure and relevance of the motives of consumers’ online articulations is generated. The resulting analysis suggests that consumers’ desire for social interaction, desire for economic incentives, their concern for other consumers, and the potential to enhance their own self-worth are the primary factors leading to eWOM behavior. Further, eWOM providers can be grouped based on what motivates their behavior, suggesting that firms may need to develop different strategies for encouraging eWOM behavior among their users.