The Role of Mobile Payment in Increasing Consumers’ Preferences towards Hedonic Products

How do payment methods affect consumers’ willingness to purchase hedonic products? Based on the pain of paying theory, past research has explored this topic by comparing cash payment with card payments. With the flourishing of electronic commerce, the usage rate of mobile payment is rapidly increasing worldwide. Considering the evolution of the mainstream payment method, this study intends to compare the newly popular mobile payment with traditional payment methods (e.g., cash payment, card payment) in influencing consumers’ preferences towards hedonic products. We propose that consumers gradually establish associations between mobile payment and hedonic mindset in their daily lives. As a result, mobile payment triggers consumers’ hedonic mindsets, which contribute to their hedonic preferences. This study provides a new explanation for the effect of payment methods on consumers’ hedonic preferences from the perspective of the distinct features of mobile payment