What motivates customers’ participation in mobile instant messaging-based online restaurant community: an extended technology acceptance model
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology
ISSN: 1757-9880
Article publication date: 4 July 2024
Issue publication date: 5 August 2024
Abstract
Purpose
An increasing number of restaurants are building mobile instant messaging-based online restaurant communities to enhance connections with customers, but the mechanisms of customers’ behavioral intentions toward these communities remain unclear. To address this gap, this study aims to investigate the factors affecting customers’ acceptance of mobile instant messaging-based online restaurant communities from the perspectives of social support theory and technology acceptance model.
Design/methodology/approach
Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze data collected from 360 customers.
Findings
The results indicate that informational support and social presence influence perceived ease of use and usefulness. By contrast, emotional support significantly affects only perceived usefulness. Additionally, perceived ease of use and usefulness can positively predict customer attitudes and foster behavioral intentions.
Originality/value
This research broadens existing research on online restaurant communities by constructing an integrated model that considers social support-related and technology use-related factors to understand consumers’ participation in a new type of restaurant community, namely, the mobile instant messaging-based online restaurant community. The findings also offer guidance on how restaurants can encourage customers to embrace mobile instant messaging-based online restaurant communities.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their beneficial suggestions that helped improve this paper.
Declarations of interest: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Data availability statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Citation
Xu, J., Liu, M. and Li, S. (2024), "What motivates customers’ participation in mobile instant messaging-based online restaurant community: an extended technology acceptance model", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 648-666. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-08-2023-0228
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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