How can Positive WOM Influence the Consumers’ Intention to use Smartphone Applications?

The usage of smartphones, as well as the software applications (apps) that are running on these systems, is higher than ever. This fairly new phenomenon is rarely marketed in a traditional sense, but rather relies on the power of consumers through word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing. The purpose of this thesis is to find out how positive WOM messages can influence the intentions for the message receivers to use free smartphone apps. By utilizing a qualitative method to collect data to the research, two focus groups with six people each were asked to participate in this study.We found five different factors that could influence the choices of one individual’s decision to use smartphone apps: the credibility of the WOM message sender, prior knowledge of the product or service, function of the application, possible channel used for sending the WOM message, and the intensity of smartphone usage. This thesis was based on the five factors found. Our findings stated that apps that could trigger certain emotions were highly prioritized in the mind of the smartphone users and were more likely to be spread effectively through WOM. Apps that also were highly ranked by the smartphone users are those in the category of entertainment, followed by those in the category of utility. These kinds of apps generated value to the customers because the application made the lifestyle of the users easier and more fun. The findings in this thesis could help online marketers, app developers or those interested in the application market of the smartphone to achieve more effective strategies through WOM.Validerat; 20130823 (global_studentproject_submitter