Lessons learned from i-mode: What makes consumers click wireless banner ads?

This paper attempts to propose a structural model that integrates various factors influencing attitude towards wireless banner ads and intention to access them. This model is applied to empirical data of Japanese mobile users sampled in the greater Tokyo area. First, structural equation modelling is used to test the baseline model. The results show that the model explains mobile users’ perceptual antecedents and consequences well, with all structural paths statistically significant. Second, in the attempt to identify different mobile user groups, a probabilistic cluster analysis is performed. This results in three-cluster groups, consisting of (1) housewives and part-timers, (2) middle-aged white-collar workers and professionals, and (3) students and “parasite singles”. Finally, multigroup analysis is used to examine whether the model operates invariantly across the three-cluster groups. The results indicate significant differences in the paths associated with consumer innovativeness and perceived entertainment between the groups. In closing, managerial implications and future research directions are discussed, while important limitations are recognised.