What Makes Consumers Purchase Mobile Apps: Evidence from Jordan

Abstract

Mobile applications (mobile Apps) have changed the ecosystem of the business world. The rapid progression in the market for smart devices and mobile Apps has brought about a revolution with regard to the mobile Apps’ economy. The major revenue stream of this economy is the sale of mobile Apps, with such sales being expected to increase dramatically every year. However, in spite of this, a considerable number of mobile Apps fail to capture consumers’ attention. Additionally, in developing countries such as Jordan, there is lack of research into understanding and determining the major factors that influence consumers’ decisions to purchase mobile Apps. Accordingly, the main objective of this study is to identify the key factors that Jordanian consumers consider in determining whether or not to purchase mobile Apps for their smartphones. To achieve this objective, a mixed-methods approach is adopted. An exploratory study involving a qualitative methods approach (interviews with consumers) is first conducted in order to determine the factors that influence consumers’ purchase behavior decisions. Then, a confirmatory study that employs a quantitative approach (a survey questionnaire) is undertaken to test the proposed model, the building of which is based on the findings of the exploratory study. The results indicate that seven factors are recognized as being pre-eminent when it comes to decisions to purchase mobile Apps. These factors include the price value of the App, App performance, App enjoyment, App trialability, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) about the App, App technical reliability and App usefulness. While this study advances our understanding of the main factors that influence mobile Apps purchase, it also reveals useful implications for mobile Apps publishers and developers, in order to promote and increase the sales of Apps.