The purpose of this study is to study the causal relationship between the factors affecting the user behavior of smart-phone pre-loaded apps and to provide base data for the government and companies that pre-load applications. With the development of ...
The purpose of this study is to study the causal relationship between the factors affecting the user behavior of smart-phone pre-loaded apps and to provide base data for the government and companies that pre-load applications. With the development of devices and communication technologies and the expansion of smartphone penetration, various business models based on mobile apps are emerging, and the importance and the interest in smartphone app pre-loading are increasing as one of the most effective ways to promote these applications. Pre-loaded app providers are trying to pre-load their apps as a means to enter the market for their new business models, while others are attempting to pre-load their apps as a precondition for strategic alliances with pre-loaded app providers. Because the purpose of pre-loading the app is to promote the app and expand the number of users, it is necessary to study the factors that affect increasing the use rate of pre-loaded apps and understand the users. However, few studies have been conducted in Korea yet.
Although it was hard to choose research methodologies and factors due to lack of prior research related to the perception and user behavior of pre-loaded apps, as they are also one of the smartphone app services, the United Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTATUT) and Value-based Adoption Model (VAM) were chosen as the methodology. The study models were designed using variables used in both theories. Independent variables such as 'facilitating conditions' and 'social influences' influence 'behavioral intention', and 'performance expectancy', 'effort expectancy', 'enjoyment', and 'information privacy concerns' influence the perceived value. 'Perceived value' influences 'use behavior' through 'perceived value'. The AMOS structural equation model is used to analyze the complex causality between nine factors. To enhance the academic and practical value of the research, diversity seeking tendency, which is the internal characteristics of users, and age, which is general characteristics, were added as moderating variables. The SPSS hierarchical regression analysis was performed to check the moderating effect of variety seeking tendency, and multi-group analysis of AMOS was performed for age.
The six common essential apps (telephone, message, clock, camera, photo, artificial intelligence) were chosen to convey the concept of pre-loaded apps well and represent the entire pre-loaded apps. Because smartphone pre-loaded apps have different characteristics for manufacturers, OS companies, and mobile carriers, and one provider also has various apps from providing base functions to apps equipped with the latest technology, it is hard to research them. To gain analysis data, an app panel survey was conducted through specialized institutions for smartphone users aged 15 to 65 across the country, and 402 valid data were secured, excluding unfaithful data.
As a result of causality relationship analysis between factors, statistically significant influence relationships were found in all paths except the path between information privacy concern and perceived value. When checking the intensity of influence between the factors, the highest influence (0.919***) was shown in the relationship between the behavioral intention as a mediation variable and the user behavior as a dependent variable, followed by 0.708*** between the perceived value and the behavioral intention. In the relationship between an independent variable and mediation variables, the influence (0.392***) was found in the relationship between performance expectancy and perceived value, followed by 0.391*** between enjoyment and perceived value. I found that users recognized the value in the performance (usefulness and productivity) and enjoyment (the pleasure of use) when using the apps. The facilitating conditions and social influences that have a direct influence on the behavioral intention showed a low influence of 0.163*** and 0.112**, which explained that the social influence of those around them who believed users should use the pre-loaded apps or facilitating conditions of technical environments that support the use of pre-loaded apps did not significantly affect the behavioral intention.
As a result of the moderating effect analysis, it was confirmed that the moderating effect of variety seeking tendency had a significant effect only on the relationship between performance expectancy and perceived value. The addition of the interaction term of the two variables increased in statistically significant explanatory power. In the case of age, the moderating effect was found only in the path between the perceived value and the behavioral intention (CR=-2.09) in the relationship between the two groups of the 'MZ generation' and the 'before MZ generation'. The path coefficient of the 'MZ generation' =.733 (p<. 001) was higher than the path coefficient the 'before MZ generation' = .688 (p<.001), indicating that the behavioral intention by perceived value was more influential in the younger age group. Next, in the relationship between the three groups of youth, middle-aged, and aged, the t-value was more extreme compare to ±1.64 (p<.1) in the path between enjoyment and perceived value (CR=1.815) and between perceived value and behavior intention (CR=-1.932). There was a statistically significant effect in the 90% confidence interval. The effect of enjoyment on perceived value is high in the order of middle-aged (path coefficient =.513), aged (.409), and youth (.351), indicating that the perceived value by the enjoyment is more influential in the middle-aged than in the youth. The effect of perceived value on the behavioral intention is high in the order of youth (.743), aged (.735), and middle-aged (.554), indicating that the young age group is more influenced by the perceived value on the behavioral intention.
Based on the study results, it is deemed that the pre-loaded app providers should design and pre-load apps in consideration of performance expectations (usability and productivity). From the viewpoint of increasing the usage rate of pre-loaded apps, it will be effective to focus on delivering time, effort, benefits, and value of life when marketing to the young age group, and to deliver fun, enjoyment, and curiosity in the higher age group.