On the effects of perceived value in the mobile moment

Abstract

Abstract Given that mobile phone photography has increased dramatically in popularity, people’s social networking behaviors are becoming more and more visual. Numerous image-based applications and social media are taking advantage of this growing popularity of visual content viewing, editing, and sharing, creating a new phenomenon, image-based social networking. Many image-based social apps are developed as multi-purpose systems, offering a variety of kinds of value to their users. This study proposes three kinds of mobile value – hedonic, utilitarian and sociability – to measure users’ perceptions of image-based apps, and explores how the three kinds of value impact user satisfaction and long-term behavioral intentions. The proposed model was empirically validated using a field survey of 500+ respondents. Both hedonic and sociability value can be provided by an image-based app, but not the utilitarian value, which can increase users’ willingness to pay. The resulting knowledge supports the understanding of various kinds of value by pointing out their different effects on continuance intention and willingness-to-pay. The results also indicate that men and women are affected by different kinds of mobile value when considering using an image-based app. The value that men perceive from an image-based app is generally lower than that perceived by women. Because the value configuration of an app will characterize its market position, the research findings provide implications for app vendors to develop their marketing strategy and to design the best monetization model based on the value configuration of their products.