Wanted! Investigating how elements from the personal usage context affect Gen Z consumers' value-in-use experience and engagement with mobile service

Abstract

For Gen Z, mobile apps largely equal ‘self-service’. App vendors must understand key determinants of these users’ value-in-use experience and customer engagement. Recent research highlights how usage context co-determines value-in-use experience. In this article, how the personal usage context affects app evaluation is theorized and empirically investigated. Hypotheses about effects of three relevant service intensifiers, i.e., perceived task complexity, uncertainty, and time pressure on value-in-use and customer engagement are experimentally investigated. Conditional value is proposed as a mediator. Results show that value-in-use experience, and ensuing engagement with a service are contingent on conditional value, which is informed by two of the investigated context elements and their interaction effect. The theoretical implications of how usage context impacts value-in-use and engagement are provided. Findings allow service vendors to improve their services by considering the personal usage context of Gen Z. Limitations of the study are discussed and an agenda for further research is provided.