Switching behavior of mobile users: do users' relational investments and demographics matter?

Received: 11 November 2005 Revised: 1 February 2006 Accepted: 20 February 2006 Abstract Mobile user switching has become a critical issue facing mobile service providers. This study examines the switching behavior of mobile users who are not under any contractual obligations to stay with a provider. Drawing upon the literature on relationship marketing and switching costs, we examine if the relational investments made by mobile users in a user-provider relationship and demographics influence their switching behavior. Based on data on over 30,590 mobile users, we examine our research questions. Statistical analysis supports significant associations between mobile users’ service usage, service bundling and their switching behavior. Support was also found for the influence of age and gender on mobile user switching. European Journal of Information Systems (2006) 15, 269–276. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000616