Mobile Commerce Consumer Behavior Analysis

Mobile commerce, or m-commerce, encompasses purchasing, payment and engagement conducted via handheld devices. Over the past decade, advances in smartphone technology, ubiquitous connectivity and secure payment protocols have reshaped consumer journeys. Research has focused on drivers of adoption, including perceived usefulness, ease of use and hedonic motivations, alongside social influences and trust. Demographic factors such as age, gender and prior e-commerce experience also modulate intentions and continuance behaviour. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated reliance on m-commerce, highlighting the importance of adaptability in emerging markets and underscoring security perceptions as central to sustained usage. Scholars have employed theoretical frameworks such as the Technology Acceptance Model and its successor, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, to model consumer intentions and ongoing engagement. Methodological innovations—ranging from structural equation modelling to artificial neural networks—have deepened understanding of expert and novice user segments. Bibliometric analyses trace the evolution of the field, revealing a shift from adoption intention towards continuance intention and emerging themes such as social commerce, omnichannel integration and live-stream commerce. Collectively, these studies inform platform designers, marketers and policymakers on tailoring strategies to diverse consumer segments, enhancing user experience and fostering trust.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Research from all publishers

Recent analyses have differentiated expert and non-expert mobile consumers by applying a hybrid PLS-SEM and artificial neural network approach. This work reveals that trust is the principal driver of satisfaction for novice users, while for experienced shoppers both trust and perceived usefulness are equally influential. Such insights enable marketers to refine targeting and personalise user interfaces according to experience level.

In response to shifts induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers adapted the UTAUT2 framework to integrate pandemic-specific perceptions and trust variables. Structural equation modelling of data from an emerging European market demonstrated that hedonic motivation, social influence and perceived trust collectively predict behavioural intention to engage in m-commerce under pandemic conditions. The study underscores the resilience of hedonic factors even amid utilitarian constraints.

A comprehensive bibliometric study charted two decades of m-commerce consumer research, mapping author networks, publication trends and intellectual clusters. Findings indicate a steady rise in publications, with China and the United States leading contributions. The analysis documents a theoretical transition from the Technology Acceptance Model towards UTAUT2 and identifies nascent topics such as mobile social commerce, fintech integration and omnichannel strategies as future research frontiers.

Mobile Commerce Consumer Behavior Analysis publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in mobile commerce consumer behavior analysis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

m-commerce: Commercial transactions and interactions conducted via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

UTAUT2: A theoretical framework (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2) that explains consumer adoption of technology through factors like performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and hedonic motivation.

PLS-SEM-ANN: A combined methodology using partial least squares structural equation modelling and artificial neural networks to capture both linear and non-linear relationships in behavioural data.

Hedonic motivation: The extent to which using a technology is perceived to be pleasurable or enjoyable, influencing adoption and continued use.

Bibliometric analysis: The quantitative examination of publications and citations to identify research trends, influential works and thematic evolution in a given field.

References

1. Does Experience Matter? Unraveling the Drivers of Expert and Non-Expert Mobile Consumers. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research (2024).
2. Assessing the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on M-Commerce Adoption: An Adapted UTAUT2 Approach. Electronics (2022).
3. Two Decades of M-Commerce Consumer Research: A Bibliometric Analysis Using R Biblioshiny. Sustainability (2023).