A study of mobile shopping experiences through the synthesis of Mobile Service Quality, Customer Engagement and Value Co-Creation

In recent years, mobile devices have transformed shopping, causing a significant shift in how consumers engage with brands online. With the increasing dominance of mobile-driven online traffic and widespread smartphone ownership in the USA and the UK, marketing teams have directed growing resources towards enhancing mobile commerce (M-commerce). This study investigates the evolving landscape of consumer experiences, value co-creation, engagement, and service quality within M-commerce. It addresses the gaps in existing research by evaluating the significance of dimensions in the mobile context for key constructs: mobile service quality (MSQ), customer engagement (CE), value co-creation (VCC), and customer experience (EX). Additionally, it explores the interrelationships among these constructs and their impact on one another. The study also delves into whether customer experience (EX) serves as a robust predictor of marketing outcome satisfaction, influencing outcomes like stickiness, wordof-mouth intention, and shopping effectiveness. Based on data from UK and US samples, this research confirms relationships between the tested constructs and offers insights into their dimensionality within mobile contexts. Notably, this study is the first known to comprehensively evaluate the dimensionality and intricate interplay of MSQ, CE, VCC, and EX within an integrated multi-dimensional framework. Rigorous testing through a latent structural model with SEM reveals compelling relationships: MSQ positively influences EX, VCC impacts EX favourably, and CE reinforces dimensions of EX. Furthermore, EX emerges as a potent predictor of satisfaction, which, in turn, influences critical marketing outcomes. The study also contributes by providing evidence of dimension saliency within mobile contexts. Privacy and order accuracy are no longer central to MSQ. For CE, two higher-order factors, intrinsic and extrinsic engagement, emerge. Within VCC, two higher-order factors characterizing value creation spheres are confirmed. Lastly, EX's heterogeneous dimensionality includes experience potential and in-app experience as distinct factors. Additionally, this research suggests that VCC may be a more robust predictor of EX than CE. In conclusion, the study provides practical and managerial implications, alongside its limitations and future research directions. Furthermore, this research offers actionable insights for M-commerce managers and app developers. It recommends a verified customer experience journey map to identify opportunities for improvement. Key highlights include the importance of design, usability, gamification, and social sharing in enhancing customer experiences. Encouraging resource sharing in value cocreation can further enhance in-app experiences. Implementing these findings can pave the way for M-commerce excellence and superior customer experiences.