Race Ethnicity and In-store Mobile-Assisted Shopping in the US

  • Kristine Johnson Rowan University
  • Manuel C. Pontes Rowan University
Keywords: mobile phone marketing, minority marketing, mobile coupons, QR codes, barcodes,

Abstract

This research examines the relationship between race, ethnicity, and consumer use of mobile coupons and digital barcodes to facilitate purchase decisions. Data were collected by telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of US adults. The independent variables were demographic variables (race ethnicity, gender, and household income) and behavioral variables (tablet and E-reader ownership index, and social networking service (SNS) and Twitter use index). Results showed that minority (Non-White) adults were significantly more likely than White adults to use their mobile phone in-store to 1.) purchase products with mobile coupons, and 2.) scan barcodes for product information. Univariate analyses showed SNS use and tablet/E-reader ownership were both significantly associated with the in-store use of mobile coupons and of mobile phones to scan barcodes for product information. Multivariate analyses showed that both SNS use and tablet/E-reader ownership were significantly associated with the in-store use of mobile phones to scan barcodes for product information, but only SNS use was significantly associated with in-store mobile coupon use. Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that greater household income was significantly related to a greater mobile coupon use but was not associated with greater likelihood of barcode scans for product information. These results show that minorities are at the forefront of the use of mobile phones to assist with in-store purchase decisions, and that the ownership of mobile devices, such as tablets and E-readers, and the use of social media predict in-store mobile assisted shopping. 

Author Biographies

Kristine Johnson, Rowan University
Kristine Johnson’s research interests include digital media marketing, mobile phone marketing, and traditional media use of new technologies. She has presented at numerous academic conferences, and her work has appeared in the Journal of Radio and Audio Media and in the Encyclopedia of Mobile Phone Behavior. She teaches advertising and marketing courses at Rowan University.
Manuel C. Pontes, Rowan University
Manuel Pontes’ research interests include marketing, health care marketing, and distance education. His methodological interests include the analysis of data collected from complex survey designs, and the use of R for data analyses and data visualization. His work has appeared in Health Marketing Quarterly, Journal of Interactive Marketing, and the Journal of Consumer Psychology. He teaches marketing courses at Rowan University.
Published
2017-09-12
Issue
Vol 7 No 2 (2017): Journal of Applied Marketing Theory
Section
General Marketing Manuscripts

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