Reconsidering the “what is beautiful is good” effect: When and how design aesthetics affect intentions towards mobile banking applications

PurposeApplying the stimulus–organism–response model, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of design aesthetics (stimulus) on adoption and recommendation intentions (response) of mobile banking applications through the mediating role of perceived usefulness and trust (organism). Imp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of bank marketing 2019-11, Vol.37 (7), p.1525-1546
Main Authors: Chaouali, Walid, Ben Yahia, Imene, Lunardo, Renaud, Triki, Abdelfattah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aesthetics
Bank marketing
Banking
Customer services
Customers
Design
Fireplaces
Humanities and Social Sciences
Hypotheses
Insurance policies
Knowledge
Marketing
Mobile commerce
Perceptions
Trust
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:PurposeApplying the stimulus–organism–response model, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of design aesthetics (stimulus) on adoption and recommendation intentions (response) of mobile banking applications through the mediating role of perceived usefulness and trust (organism). Importantly, this research further examines the moderating effect of persuasion knowledge, which attenuates the effects of design aesthetics on perceived usefulness and trust.Design/methodology/approachA survey is conducted with the help of panellist among a sample of 213 bank customers who are not yet users of mobile banking. Data are analysed using the PROCESS macro.FindingsThe results show that design aesthetics positively influence perceived usefulness and trust. These variables, in turn, positively affect adoption and recommendation intentions of mobile banking applications. Interestingly, the findings also demonstrate that persuasion knowledge moderates the effects of design aesthetics on perceived usefulness and trust, as well as their mediating effect.Originality/valueBecause the results demonstrate that persuasion knowledge weakens the effects of design aesthetics on perceived usefulness and trust, the originality of this research rests upon its reconsideration of the “what is beautiful is good” effect and the questioning of the supremacy of this effect. These results provide insights for academics to better explain and increase adoption and recommendation intentions. Moreover, the results can help banking practitioners to improve their policies and strategies pertaining to mobile banking applications.
ISSN:0265-2323
1758-5937
DOI:10.1108/IJBM-12-2018-0337