A Study on Users Purchase Intention in Freemium Mobile Games

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate factors that have an effect on the sales of virtual items in freemium mobile games. The study primarily focuses on a role of free given items in a model. Based on the reviews of previous studies, we conduct an online survey within the TantanSachunsung game, and we use structural equation modeling in order to test the research model. Apparently, there are complex and mixed effects on free items. Results of the study indicate that there are several factors (i.e., intention to use free items, social influence, usage habit, prior usage experience, prior purchase experience) to predict users intention to purchase virtual items in freemium mobile games. We found that there is a strong relationship between social influence and the intention to purchase virtual items in freemium mobile games through the intention to use free items. Moreover, we found that the statistically significant paths are different by each user group in the model. Theoretical and managerial implications for the research are discussed with several suggestions for further research.