A Case of the Alberta Culture Events Mobile App. Jennifer ...

Running head: MOBILE APPS AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

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How Mobile Apps Are Changing Consumer Behavior: A Case of the Alberta Culture Events Mobile App. Jennifer Lynn Mitok

Submitted to the Faculty of Extension University of Alberta

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communications and Technology

August 24, 2015

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Acknowledgements

I would first like to thank Dr. Gordon Gow for his support and guidance through this process. Dr. Gow's advice in navigating rough waters throughout this project helped pull me through points where I thought I might need to abandon my topic. I also wish to acknowledge Dr. Ann Curry for recommending I study a project that I was involved in, to support greater professional development. I have been extremely fortunate in having such strong academic support throughout this program.

Secondly, I would like to acknowledge my colleagues with whom I have been involved in this technology project. This project was in ongoing development over the last six years and provided much professional growth and development for all those involved on the team.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge my friends and family who provided unending support to me and my amazing husband through this process. To him, I am forever indebted. To take on a graduate program, during challenging years personally and professionally is no small feat. Dave, I am forever grateful for your support, understanding and ability to single-parent through these years. Thank you.

By the end of this year, the Alberta Culture Events app will be decommissioned. It was an attempt to provide Albertans with a contemporary way to search for and engage in Alberta's culture. Alberta is rich in culture and history, and I hope that with this study, future professionals can find ways to further integrate Albertans into the cultural fabric of our province.

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Abstract

Smartphones and mobile applications (apps) are permeating modern culture. Mobile app development is steadily increasing and becoming customized to meet individual user needs. Private and public organizations are designing apps to make products and services more easily consumable. The Government of Alberta has developed a website and mobile app as part of its marketing effort for the Alberta Culture Days festival and uses it year-round to promote community based arts and cultural events. The usage of the mobile app is the focus of this study and specifically if it is influencing its user's behaviors towards attending more arts and cultural events. Understanding how mobile apps are being developed to entice consumer usage and make consumer decisions is the central goal of this study. The study draws insight from a focus group of Alberta Culture Events mobile app users and uses the theory of planned behavior to analyze the user's behavior. It also uses the stages identified in the model of consumer behavior to understand how the mobile app supports users through their decision making process about attending events they discover. This study is supported by extensive literature review on this topic which identifies attributes such as security, brand strength and design as ones which positively influence app usage. The results of the focus group confirmed that many of the app attributes identified in the literature review positively support the use of the Alberta Culture Events app. However, further study and analysis needs to be done of the types of events delivered through this app to better understand if it can influence Albertans' consumer behavior of attending arts and cultural events.

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 8 THEORETICAL APPROACH .............................................................................................. 10

LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................. 11 THE CONSUMER PURCHASING DECISION PROCESS ........................................................ 12 MOBILE APPS AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOR .................................................................... 14 MOBILE APP FEATURES ................................................................................................. 17 Personalization. ........................................................................................................ 18 Utility. ....................................................................................................................... 19 PRIVACY AND TRUST ..................................................................................................... 22 VISUAL DESIGN OF MOBILE APPS .................................................................................. 24 BRAND ........................................................................................................................... 27 BEHAVIOR CHANGE ....................................................................................................... 29

RESEARCH QUESTION PROPOSAL ....................................................................... 30

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ........................................................ 31 EXPLORATORY RESEARCH ............................................................................................. 32 INDUCTIVE APPROACH................................................................................................... 33 FOCUS GROUP METHOD................................................................................................. 34 FOCUS GROUP MODERATOR .......................................................................................... 37 STUDY POPULATION AND SAMPLING METHOD .............................................................. 40 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY .......................................................................................... 41 DATA COLLECTION ........................................................................................................ 42

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CODING.......................................................................................................................... 44 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS ......................................................................................... 48

ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE BEHAVIOR............................................................................. 49 Trust. ......................................................................................................................... 50 Utility. ....................................................................................................................... 52

SUBJECTIVE NORM......................................................................................................... 54 PERCEIVED BEHAVIORAL CONTROL .............................................................................. 56

Visual Design. ........................................................................................................... 56 Personalization. ........................................................................................................ 58 ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................... 60 SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 63 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 64 REFERENCES................................................................................................................ 67 APPENDIX A. FOCUS GROUP SCRIPT ................................................................... 75 APPENDIX B. INFORMATION LETTER AND CONSENT FORM FOR PERSONAL INTERVIEW ........................................................................................................ 79

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