Determinants of the Willingness to Use Mobile Location-Based Services
An Empirical Analysis of Residential Mobile Phone Customers   　

Torsten J. Gerpott and Sabrina Berg

Abstract

This article develops 11 hypotheses on impacts of six customer characteristics on an individual’s willingness to use mobile location based services (LBS). Hypotheses are tested in a sample of 217 mobile communications customers in Germany who participated in a standardized online-survey. PLS analysis suggests that reported frequency of “on the move” information needs, perceived assessment of LBS in a customer’s social environment and extent of past use of other mobile data services have statistically as well as practically significant effects on adoption intentions for pull LBS. Data privacy risks and cost/bill size concerns are only weakly or not related to such intentions.

Keywords  Adoption – Consumer behavior – Intention to use – Location-based services – Mobile