Identifying factors influencing consumers’ intent to install mobile applications

• We survey and assess undergraduate students regarding smartphone and tablet usage.
• We assess factors that influence consumers to install mobile apps.
• Few previous studies have investigated factors that influence consumers intention to install mobile apps.
• Perceived security familiarity are significant factors that influence consumers intention to install mobile apps.
• Results show that consumers that perceive more security have greater trust and reduced perceived risk.

The purpose of this research is to explore the factors that influence a consumer before installing a mobile application. A research model is created based on perceived risk, trust, perceived benefit, and intent to install. Seven antecedents of trust and risk include perceived security, perceived reputation, application characteristics, familiarity, desensitization, consumer disposition to trust, and consumer disposition to risk. Partial least squares (PLS) is used to test the research model. Only significant antecedents are retained and a new research model is created, which includes the antecedents of perceived security and familiarity. Results show that consumers that perceive more security have greater trust and reduced perceived risk. Furthermore, consumers that feel more familiar with finding, purchasing, downloading, and installing applications have greater trust and reduced perceived risk. More than half (R2=.505) of the variability in the intention to install an app is explained.