Does the interface quality of mobile shopping apps affect purchase intention? An empirical study

Abstract

Shopping using mobile applications (apps) is becoming a trend. Studies have highlighted the importance of interface in the case of shopping websites. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is hardly any study that has investigated the impact of interface quality of mobile apps on purchase intention. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of interface quality of mobile shopping apps on customer intention to purchase. Four dimensions of interface quality of mobile shopping apps (viz. general information quality, product information related quality, layout quality, and visual appeal quality) were explored. Survey method was used to test the framework developed in this study. Results suggest that shopping apps' interface quality has indirect effect on purchase intention. Shopping app-interface quality has a positive impact on perceived enjoyment, which has little but positive impact on purchase intention using shopping apps. Shopping app-interface quality has no effect on perceived trust, but perceived enjoyment exerts a positive effect on perceived trust, which positively influences customer intention to purchase using shopping apps. Further, the study discusses theoretical and managerial implications and concludes with limitations and avenues for future research.