Understanding consumer indifference in the context of mobile applications Authors:

Software applications on mobile devices offer a variety of services and have become an integral part of people’s life in the 21 st century. Apps, as they are popularly referred to, are the interactive platform of choice that enhances the service experience of many brands due to their ubiquitous, location-aware and personalized nature. In spite of their popularity and obvious utility, users become indifferent to a large number of native apps that they willingly downloaded and installed on their mobile devices. Academic literature in marketing has addressed acquisition, engagement and exit of consumers. Consumers who have turned indifferent, but could still be actively engaged with appropriate mechanisms, have not yet been adequately addressed. This paper introduces the emerging and contemporary characteristic of consumer behavior in terms of indifference towards mobile apps. The ambiguity of engagement, distinguishes indifferent consumers from non-consumers. Interdisciplinary academic literature is explored and combined with some early stage scoping interviews to arrive at an initial understanding of indifference. Equity, affect and disconfirmation are identified as the main evaluative dimensions of satisfaction. Indifference is understood to be the outcome of a neutral evaluation of satisfaction following an engagement episode, moderated by relevance, alternatives and involvement. Understanding indifference could help brands profitably engage their users on mobile devices.