How do mini games affect female users of mobile commerce? Improving platform satisfaction through game use intention

Area of Science:

• E-commerce and Consumer Behavior
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Gamification Studies

Background:

• Mobile commerce (m-commerce) platforms are increasingly integrating gamification elements.
• Gamification aims to enhance user engagement and satisfaction within commercial applications.
• Female users, a significant demographic, are noted for their participation in m-commerce games.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the factors influencing female users' intention to play games on m-commerce platforms.
• To examine the impact of game use intention on overall platform satisfaction among female users.
• To explore the mediating role of game use intention between user expectations, motivations, and platform satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from female m-commerce game players in China.
• Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) employed to test hypotheses.
• Analysis included factors like performance expectation, hedonic motivation, social influence, and effort expectation.

Main Results:

• Game use intention fully mediated the effects of performance expectation, hedonic motivation, and social influence on platform satisfaction.
• Effort expectation positively impacted platform satisfaction directly, but not game use intention.
• Higher frequency of game play and spending correlated positively with game use intention; females over 25 showed a preference for m-commerce games.

Conclusions:

• Gamification significantly enhances m-commerce platform satisfaction for female users through game use intention.
• Strategic design considering performance expectations, hedonic value, and social dynamics is crucial for m-commerce gamification.
• Findings offer theoretical insights and practical guidance for developing engaging m-commerce platforms, with a noted demographic preference among older females.