Enhancing brand equity in branded apps: A hedonic and utilitarian motivation´s perspective

Although an increasing amount of research nowadays investigates the impact of mobile apps, how branded apps influence desirable outcomes, such as brand equity, remains underexplored. This research develops a conceptual model to capture how perceived motivations and task-service fit influence brand engagement and enhance brand equity via branded apps. Data collected from 292 mobile app users show that utilitarian motivations positively impact task-service fit, that task-service fit has a positive impact on consumer brand engagement and brand equity, and that consumer brand engagement has a positive impact on brand equity. Conversely, hedonic motivations do not significantly influence task-service fit. This work provides a better understanding of the influence of task-service fit on brand equity via branded apps. It also generates practical implications for brands to successfully develop their apps and use them to enhance brand equity.