The usefulness of mobile applications in shaping responsible consumption

Utility is an important concept in economics because it explains the reasons for choosing a particular good, and the utility function allows us to examine the relationship between different goods [Krugman and Wells, 2012]. Mankiw and Taylor [2009] point to another regularity in consumer behavior, namely the desire to maximize utility, as opposed to managers whose goal is to maximize profit. Such consumers are users of mobile applications, because they use those that best meet their needs in terms of environmentally and socially sustainable behavior, and, it, consequently, leads to responsible consumption. Brodie et al. [2011] also wrote about the relationship between customer involvement in mobile applications, in terms of shopping and sustainable consumption.

The main objective of the study was to present a catalog of features of a useful mobile application in the context of responsible consumption and reasons for using it. The main reason for choosing such a research problem was the popularity of mobile applications among representatives of the Z generation. There is a need to promote sustainable attitudes with the use of this type of tool in the face of the progressive degradation of the natural environment. There are a few articles in the databases that directly deal with the usefulness of pro-environmental mobile applications in shaping responsible consumption, and, thus, an attempt was made to fill this research gap. The analysis used examples of mobile applications, identified with environmentally and socially sustainable behavior [Balińska et al., 2021]. The analysis of domestic and foreign literature, as well as the results of own research, were used. The research was carried out in the first quarter of 2023 and involved 747 respondents. The empirical material was subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis, and the Net Advocacy Index (NPS) was used.

Nowadays, the world is facing various crises, e.g., in the natural and social environment. One of the reasons is overconsumption, which is recognized as an aspect of unsustainable development, and its self-regulation is crucial in solving these crises [Mancini et al., 2016]. Sustainable consumption and production are defined based on the proposed Sustainable Development Goals of “doing more and better with less,” including increasing net prosperity from economic activity by reducing resource consumption, degradation, and pollution throughout the life cycle, while increasing the quality of life [Datatopics.worldbank, 2017].

Sustainable consumption was defined at the Oslo Symposium [IISD, 1995]: “the use of services and related products that meet basic needs and provide a better quality of life, while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials, as well as waste and pollution emissions throughout the life cycle of a service or product, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations.” Such consumption refers to patterns of behavior that are ingrained in society and supported or inhibited by the institutions, norms and infrastructure that shape people’s choices [Craig et al., 2019].

Out of the 17 sustainable development goals included in the 2030 Agenda, the 12th goal refers to sustainable consumption and production patterns. It is recognized that the cause of the global environmental crisis is people’s resource-intensive lifestyles. As one of the most important factors of poor health and environmental degradation in the world, the food system is indicated, wherein, for example, the food sector is responsible for about 30% of the total energy consumption in the world and about 22% of total greenhouse gas emissions [Lema-Blanco et al., 2023]. Therefore, the fight against the environmental and social problems faced by humanity requires, above all, a change in the consumption system and raising consumer awareness, because their purchasing decisions are not only one of the causes for these problems, but also a way to solve them [Palacios-González et al., 2020]. Hence, it becomes crucial to create more responsible demand and intensify environmentally friendly consumer behavior [Vlastelica et al., 2023].

Socially responsible consumption also includes the rejection of mass consumption practices [Palacios-González et al., 2020]. Sustainable consumption was aptly defined by Paliwoda-Matiolańska [2020], noting that it is an ideology and a form of social movement. Its task is to promote sustainable consumption, consumer rights, and obligations. Responsible consumers are primarily people who consider social and environmental aspects to be crucial in the process of making purchasing decisions that have a positive impact on the natural and social environment [Zbuchea et al., 2021].

Consumer choices are described as a utility maximization process: decision makers assign a subjective value (utility) to each good, and choose the one with the highest utility. The relationship between consumed goods and achieved satisfaction is relatively well explained in the theory of utility.

Assumptions about economic utility lie at the heart of utilitarianism. The concept of utility was first introduced by Daniel Bernoulli in 1738, presenting the so-called Petersburg paradox. In turn, Jeremy Bentham is considered to be the creator of utilitarianism, along with the developed, so-called account of happiness [Balińska and Jaska, 2022]. The concept of utility in economics makes it possible to explain the reasons for choosing a particular good, and the utility function allows to examine the relationship between different goods [Krugman and Wells, 2012].

A utility good is undoubtedly a good of high quality (value), and its selection is subject to the rules and principles of the theory of rationality, although the practice of maximizing utility is not a feature of every consumer and occurs at different levels [Mankiw and Taylor, 2009; Nogal, 2014]. Such consumers are users of mobile applications, because they use those that best meet their needs in terms of environmentally and socially sustainable behavior, which consequently leads to responsible consumption.

Purchase and consumption occur more or less simultaneously, but more often the purchase experience takes place before consumption. However, there are examples of consumption without a purchase, e.g., reading news on websites or listening to music on a streaming service. These examples illustrate how purchasing and consumption can be different behaviors—how one can occur without the other and how one can be preceded by the other. The useful features of mobile applications facilitate a high level of customer identification with the mobile application and the brand that makes it available [Calder and Malthouse, 2008; Wang et al., 2015]. This affects shopping behavior [Viswanathan et al., 2017] and, consequently, consumption.

Mobile application usability is defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as “the degree to which a mobile application can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals, with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use” [Venkatesh and Ramesh, 2006, p. 183].The authors decided to recognize the usefulness of mobile applications in three areas: functionality, technical solutions and security. This type of division has not been found in the literature, especially in relation to pro-environmental applications. The importance of functionality was discussed by, among others, Aggarwal et al. [2019], and the parameters of optimal pro-environmental applications were analyzed by Typhina [2015], who emphasized the importance of language and programmed functions. Using some applications involves paying fees, which makes the users dissatisfied [Lee and Cho, 2017; Kim and Lee, 2023]. The discussion in scientific publications became the basis for formulating the first hypothesis:

H1. The most important feature of a useful application from the perspective of its functionality is that it is free of charge.

Researchers list several features of useful applications in the area of technical solutions, including aesthetics, graphics, font, subtle animation, and transitions [Bhullar and Gill, 2019], although they do not link them to this category. In turn, Torres-Toukoumidis et al. [2022] draws attention to such components of mobile applications, as smart screens, cloud storage and portability, which facilitate access to information and communication, but combines these areas from a functionality perspective. Wajd and Aljedebi [2022] point to the interface, which, according to them, is one of the most critical elements, facilitating the interaction between users and the application. According to Nguyen’s study [2021], one of the greatest expectations of users for eco-friendly mobile applications is fast and uninterrupted performance. In this context, Kim et al. [2023] emphasize that the application should be easy to open, and subsequent steps in the application should be performed quickly. If transactions cannot be completed quickly and the application keeps crashing, it reduces customer satisfaction. The past considerations in this area led the authors to formulate another hypothesis:

H2. The most important feature of a useful application from the perspective of technical solutions is its speed.

When using mobile applications, users sense of security, in terms of protection of sensitive data and payments, is also important [Hu et al., 2014; Yoo and Kim, 2014; Preibusch et al., 2016; Zarifis and Fu, 2023; Zhu et al., 2023]. Kotsopoulos et al. [2022] also point out the need to ensure the security and protection of personal data in the context of environmentally friendly tourism applications.

Alzhrani et al. [2022], Abdullahi [2018], and Chimuco et al [2023] write about the security of using mobile applications as well, but most studies concern the security of software used to create applications. To ensure the protection of personal data, blockchain technology is becoming a key solution, with significant potential, in the opinion of many researchers [Ahmed et al., 2023; Raghunandan et al., 2023; Rathod et al., 2023]. In the next hypothesis, the authors assumed that

H3. The most important feature of a useful application from a security perspective is secure payment.

Individual dimensions of the application lose their attractiveness quite quickly, which makes it difficult to maintain user satisfaction at a high level [Alamer et al., 2023]. This problem, with emphasis on Generation Z, is also addressed by Cao et al. [2023]. Satisfaction and ease of use are attributes of useful applications identified by Johnson et al. [2022] in health education. However, there are no analyses of preferences in the groups of women and men. The authors, noticing the research gap, covered this area with their considerations and put forward the following hypothesis:

H4. There are more promoters of pro-environmental mobile applications in the group of women.

The main objective of the study was to present a catalog of features of a useful mobile application in the context of responsible consumption and the reasons for using it. The research used examples of mobile applications identified with environmentally and socially sustainable behavior, such as: Zdrowe zakupy, Too Good To Go, Gdzie wyrzucić, Vinted, Veturillo, Bla Bla Car, Foodsi, OLX, and Alegro lokalnie.

The following research questions were formulated:

what are the features of a useful application from the perspective of its functionality?

The article uses the analysis of domestic and foreign literature, as well as the results of own research questionnaire. A total of 747 respondents participated in the empirical study carried out in the first quarter of 2023. The collected data were subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis. Among others, Net Advocacy Index (NPS) was applied. The NPS indicator is used to measure customer loyalty, and thus indirectly the level of satisfaction [Michalska-Dudek, 2015; Baquero, 2022]. Student’s t-test, ANOVA, Mann– Whitney Z test were also used.

In the literature on the subject, there is no clear definition of the time frame for generation Z. Most often, those born after 1995 are indicated. This is the generation referred to as “C” – connected, i.e., connected to the network. They are a social group that was the first to grow up in the age of the Internet. Therefore, they have special skills to use the opportunities it brings. They easily search and disseminate information found on the Internet, and quickly make contacts and acquaintances on social media. Representatives of Generation Z consider themselves to be people with extremely divisible attention. The ability to quickly adapt to changes in applications and systems is also worth emphasizing. They value interactive games, joint projects, challenges, and everything in which they can be noticed and appreciated [Grzybowska-Brzezińska et al., 2022; Werenowska and Jaska, 2022]. They spend a significant amount of time on social networking sites and streaming platforms, looking for content that is engaging and funny for them [Wilusz, 2017].

Mobile applications are primarily condensed packets of information. We receive them in the form of a ready and constantly updated product, usually available in an aesthetic and useful form. They also represent a new way of communicating with customers and are perceived as an innovative advertising channel.

The attributes of useful applications were considered from the perspective of functionality, technical solutions and security. In the area of functionality, the problem of assessing the usability of mobile applications has been addressed, among others, by Marzuki et al., [2016], and it was noted that ease of use and perceived usefulness significantly influenced users’ intentions to accept the application. Cata and Martz [2015] identified areas of statistically significant differences in key features of mobile applications between their designers and users. Designers see “ease of access” and “ease of use” as the most important features of a mobile application. Researchers rightly note that mobile applications can achieve commercial success if they are created with the needs of users in mind. In turn, the research of Orehovački et al., [2023], shows that in the context of mobile banking applications used in Croatia, feedback quality and responsiveness contribute to ease of use. Usability is determined by both ease of use, and speed of response and data security.

So far, a larger number of researchers have focused their analyses on technical solutions. Shareef and Khan [2019] pointed out, among others, such attributes as small screen size, different display resolution, method of entering information, and navigation. In turn, Botilias et al. [2022], analyzing the usability of tourism applications, noted that they should work on various mobile platforms. Otherwise, some operator users will not be able to use the application. Additionally, according to Salido et al. [2023], it is important to constantly update and support the technical infrastructure.

The need to develop and implement more secure communication and more useful methods of authenticating users of mobile applications in ensuring security is emphasized, among others, by Papaioannou et al. [2023], and Yin and Cui [2023].

In the authors’ opinion, the presented analyses justify the conclusion that speed, ease of use and security of personal data are predictors of customer satisfaction, which in turn influences their behavioral intentions.

The hypotheses confirmed that the most important feature of a useful application from a functionality perspective is the lack of fees for its use, from a technical solutions perspective, speed of operation, and from a security perspective, payment protection. The hypothesis that more promoters of pro-environmental mobile applications are in the group of women was also positively verified.

The results of the study can serve as a starting point for researchers and practitioners who are working on consumer-centric applications to promote sustainable consumption. They can also be an inspiration to create campaigns to raise awareness in groups of those not convinced about sustainable consumer behavior. The hypotheses confirmed that the most important feature of a useful application from a functionality perspective is the lack of fees for its use, from a technical solutions perspective, speed of operation; and from a security perspective, payment protection. The hypothesis that more promoters of pro-environmental mobile applications are in the group of women was also positively verified.

It is worth mentioning the gap in the research on the subject. There are a few articles in the databases that directly deal with the usefulness of mobile applications in shaping responsible consumption. In the ProQuest database on November 11, 2023, among the articles reviewed under the heading “Mobile applications shaping responsible consumption” for the last 5 years, only 366 items in this field were generated in English. Therefore, it is reasonable to continue the undertaken research among representatives of other generations. An interesting direction would also be to extend the research to application users from other EU countries.

It should be noted that the study was exploratory in nature and needs to be deepened. Its results are a valuable source of information for application developers, whose target groups are representatives of the Z generation.

The authors are aware of the limitations of the present study. One of the most important is that it was limited only to Polish users of mobile applications and generation Z. The research should be continued in the coming years and take into account changes in the use of the application and include new ones from the analyzed area.

“Publication co-financed from the state budget under the program of the Minister of Education and Science under the name ‘Science for Society’ Nds/545437/2022/2022 (Poland) ‘Environmentally and socially sustainable behavior of Generation Z, stimulated by mobile applications’ amount of co-financing 1800 PLN +23%VAT total value of the project 321 PLN 632.00.”