The case for 'Benevolent' mobile apps
- Autores: Glen L. Urban, Fareena Sultan
- Localización: MIT Sloan management review, ISSN 1532-9194, Vol. 56, Nº 2, 2015, págs. 31-37
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
Some companies' smartphone apps focus on pushing product sales. However, benevolent apps that build trust by providing consumers with valuable information can improve users image of a brand and increase their willingness to purchase a company's products. Whereas push apps, such as those offered by companies including Staples, Dominos Pizza and Zappos, are designed to generate sales and promote special deals to customers, benevolent apps offer services that aren't directly tied to sales but are designed to help customers solve problems or make decisions. A good example of a company that does this is Sea Tow Service International, headquartered in Southold, New York, which provides emergency towing and rescue services for boaters in the United States, the Caribbean and Europe. In this article the authors describe a Mobile App Benevolence Spectrum; show that benevolent apps can increase brand image, trust, consideration, preference and purchase intent; and examine the managerial implications of benevolent apps in a company's new media mix
