Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine specific gratifications obtained from using mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications by applying the uses and gratifications theory. This study explores the relationships between motivational factors, customer engagement and loyalty for existing WhatsApp subscribers in South Africa, as well as the moderating effect of application usage.

Design/methodology/approach

A descripto-explanatory research design was used in this quantitative study and 282 responses from an online survey were analysed. Structural equation modelling was used to test the study’s hypotheses.

Findings

The study reveals that utilitarian and hedonic motivation impact customer engagement positively in using WhatsApp, which, in turn, impacts loyalty. Social motivation in using WhatsApp bore no relationship with customer engagement. Furthermore, medium application usage moderates the link between customer engagement and utilitarian and hedonic motivation.

Research limitations/implications

The study offers a greater understanding of customer engagement and motivational factors in the MIM environment. Future studies could consider more complex relationships with customer engagement in using MIM apps focussed on a younger generation.

Practical implications

MIM service providers should enhance customer engagement by tracking user activity and identifying customers who need to use an app more by targeting their utilitarian and hedonic needs through sophisticated marketing strategies.

Originality/value

This research enriches the understanding of key motivational factors impacting customers’ continued engagement towards using MIM, as opposed to the adoption thereof.

中文翻译：

---

南非移动即时消息环境中的动机因素、客户参与度和忠诚度：应用程序使用的调节作用

目的

本文的目的是通过应用使用和满足理论来检验从使用移动即时消息 (MIM) 应用程序中获得的特定满足。本研究探讨了南非现有 WhatsApp 订户的动机因素、客户参与度和忠诚度之间的关系，以及应用程序使用的调节作用。

设计/方法/方法

在这项定量研究中使用了描述性解释性研究设计，并分析了来自在线调查的 282 份回复。结构方程模型被用来检验研究的假设。

发现

该研究表明，功利主义和享乐动机对使用 WhatsApp 的客户参与度产生积极影响，进而影响忠诚度。使用 WhatsApp 的社交动机与客户参与无关。此外，中等应用程序使用调节了客户参与与功利和享乐动机之间的联系。

研究限制/影响

该研究提供了对 MIM 环境中客户参与和激励因素的更深入的了解。未来的研究可以考虑在使用专注于年轻一代的 MIM 应用程序时与客户参与的更复杂的关系。

实际影响

MIM 服务提供商应通过复杂的营销策略瞄准实用和享乐需求，跟踪用户活动并识别需要更多使用应用程序的客户，从而提高客户参与度。

原创性/价值

这项研究丰富了对影响客户继续使用 MIM 而非采用 MIM 的关键动机因素的理解。