I like my app but I wanna try yours: exploring user switching from a learning perspective
ISSN: 1066-2243
Article publication date: 8 October 2019
Issue publication date: 6 April 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain the “good-to-good” app switching phenomenon that has not been specifically addressed in the prior switching literature. Drawing on the consumer learning theory, this study explores how external social word of mouth (WOM) and internal satisfaction influence app users’ switching intention through social learning route and analogical learning route. This study also examines the moderating effect of app heterogeneity.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was used to collect data. Two categories of mobile apps with different levels of within-category heterogeneity were targeted in survey questions. A total of 525 valid survey responses were collected.
Findings
Social WOM about a competing app increases users’ switching intention through both social norm influence and social information influence, resulting in a direct effect on switching intention and an indirect effect through the perceived attractiveness of a competing app. Users’ satisfaction with an adopted app positively influences the perceived attractiveness of an unadopted competing app, offering evidence for analogical learning in user switching. Meanwhile, users’ satisfaction imposes a direct negative effect on switching intention. A higher level of within-category heterogeneity strengthens (weakens) the positive effect of social WOM (satisfaction) on users’ perceived attractiveness of a competing app.
Originality/value
This study complements the existing switching literature by disentangling the “good-to-good” switching phenomenon in the mobile app market from the consumer learning perspective. This study extends the understanding of cross-category user switching by considering different levels of product heterogeneity.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper is a part of the research project (Grant Nos 71702103 and 71531006) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). The data collection process was financially funded by (NSFC Grant Nos 71702103 and 71802108) and the Research Funds for Young Scholars in School of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Science and Technology (Grant No. JGQN1802). This paper is developed from our research-in-progress manuscript presented in Conf-IRM 2018 as “The Effect of Social Word-of-Mouth on Brand Switch Intention: From Cognitive Learning Perspective”, Proceedings of International Conference on Information Resources Management 2018 (https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1041&context=confirm2018).
Citation
Gu, J., Wang, X. and Lu, T. (2020), "I like my app but I wanna try yours: exploring user switching from a learning perspective", Internet Research, Vol. 30 No. 2, pp. 611-630. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-07-2018-0310
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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