Investigating Health and Fitness App Users’ Stickiness, WOM, and Continuance Intention Using S-O-R Model: The Moderating Role of Health Consciousness

Regardless of its advantage, generally, statistics show low levels of mobile application retention for a long time by users. Thus, the current study tries to provide a deeper understanding of the health and fitness app users’ engagement and stickiness based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, as well as testing the moderating role of the health consciousness in the effect of users’ satisfaction and app-love on stickiness, WOM, and continuance intention. Data was collected from 394 respondents recruited using Google Forms using the self-selection sample technique. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. According to the findings, ISS model components (information quality, system quality, and service quality) significantly influence user engagement with health and fitness applications. Furthermore, user engagement has a significant and positive influence on user satisfaction and app-love. Furthermore, app satisfaction and app-love positively impact stickiness intention, word-of-mouth, and continuance intention. Moreover, the influence of user satisfaction on WOM and continuance intention is moderated by health consciousness. Additionally, the influence of app-love on stickiness intention, WOM, and continuance intention is moderated by health consciousness. This is the first study to integrate the ISS model and the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, as well as the health consciousness construct as a moderator, to propose a holistic framework of user engagement, satisfaction, app-love, stickiness intention, WOM, and continuance intention with health and fitness apps in the emergent markets.