Explaining and predicting the adoption intention of mobile data services: A value-based approach

As mobile devices become more and more pervasive in our everyday life and their capabilities resemble more and more of those of desktop computers with the added advantage of mobility, examining intention for adoption seems relevant to consumers and mobile service providers alike. Existing research shows that despite this evolution on Mobile Data Services (MDS) development and use, the adoption of their full capabilities is yet to be realized. In this study we focus on the value consumers can potentially gain from using these services. We hypothesize that if we can examine the value that can be delivered to consumers through the use of MDS, then we can explain and predict consumers' intentions to use MDS. We also postulate that perceptions of consumers regarding the value that can be captured when using MDS is directly affected by technological, social, and informational influences. However, in this research, perceived value is used as a multidimensional construct that encapsulates utilitarian, hedonic, uniqueness, epistemic, and economic value dimensions. Our results show that utilitarian value is, according to previous studies, an important adoption factor. Additionally, economic value is also important and significant. Nevertheless, it seems that in our context, hedonic, uniqueness, and epistemic value dimensions are not as important for the use of mobile data services as utilitarian and economic value dimensions. The results of this study can be used by mobile service providers to get insights about consumers' needs and preferences in order to offer better and thus more popular services. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.