News | Friday, 23rd June 2023

Blog article: Improving consumer experience using mobile apps - The Gen Z perspective

This blog article from Dr Michelle Gledhill and Dr Amna Khan follows their presentation about Gen Z consumers’ experiences of using mobile apps at the Retail Technology Show 2023, supported by a seed corn grant from the Business Transformations Research Centre.

This blog article was written by Dr Michelle Gledhill and Dr Amna Khan following their presentation on 26th April 2023 about consumers’ experiences of using mobile apps at the Retail Technology Show 2023, Olympia London, supported by a seed corn grant from the Business Transformations Research Centre at Manchester Metropolitan University.

What matters most in the customer experience when using mobile apps?

This blog article focuses on an exploratory project conducted by Dr Michelle Gledhill and Dr Amna Khan which aims to understand what retailers can learn from Reality TV mobile applications in terms of user experience and how to create intense engagement for the Gen Z audience. The research investigates Gen Z user experience of Reality TV and retailer mobile applications through application of the MACE model, and so far 10 structured interviews with Gen Z consumers have been conducted.
 
The Mobile Applications Customer Experience Model (MACE) developed by McLean and colleagues suggests that utilitarian factors, such as ease of use, convenience, and the ability to customise the experience, drive the customer's perception of their mobile app experience. These utilitarian factors prove to be key in enhancing a positive experience as McLean and colleagues found when adopting this model. If the ease of use was poor, it resulted in the user becoming dissatisfied and experiencing negative emotions of frustration and disappointment with the app. Convenience such as the ability to compare multiple brands was also highlighted as contributing to a positive experience in this study. Whilst customisation, being able to filter favourite content, apply parameters to search and be presented with customised information was important and should be balanced with discovery.
 
The research conducted so far by Gledhill and Khan has found the most popular apps for Generation Z consumers are ASOS, Pretty Little Thing, Bershka, Urban Outfitters, Vinted, and Shein.

What would make a Gen Z consumer obsess over a retailer’s mobile app and why?

Dr Gledhill and Dr Khan’s research indicated that consumers were drawn to apps that would create enjoyment. This can be achieved through competitions, daily challenges and tasks which are linked to rewards. Competitions and daily challenges increased consumer involvement with the apps. Some retailing apps offer the consumer a daily check-in, which is a passive activity requiring little involvement. 

Competitions and daily challenges, on the other hand, require the consumer to engage with retailers’ products. For example, the respondents suggested fast fashion brands such as Shein set the consumers a task to create an outfit using a particular colour or products. The activity increases consumer awareness of products and ranges through actively engaging the consumer in a task.

Through gaming, it requires the consumer to make decisions that they would when purchasing the product, without actually purchasing the outfit. Thus, when the consumer needs a new outfit, the retailer might become the consumer’s first choice, as the consumer has already engaged with the purchasing decision making process through the task set. The added benefit of this example task, is it creates an identity for the consumer as a creator. Many young Gen Z consumers refer to themselves as creators or desire to be a creator, and hence these sorts of challenges provide them a platform to demonstrate their creativity and individuality amongst their peers.

Consumers want to be rewarded for their involvement and engagement with the app rather than just for purchasing products. Examples of this included morning check-ins, being rewarded for daily challenge and competition entry, and for reviewing products post-purchase, as brands such as Shein do. These rewards when visualised on a tracker and tiered system create a sense of achievement and distinction. Gamification creates involvement that enhances consumers' engagement with the products, but the rewards are essential to ensure consumers engage.

Why do Gen Z love the consumer experience with reality TV apps?

The reality TV programmes that the Gen Z respondents watched and use the related app for were Love Island, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Britain’s Got Talent, and Strictly Come Dancing. The key feature in reality TV that increases enjoyment and engagement leading to more positive customer experience is voting, whether this is voting for your favourite person/couple to remain/eliminate or voting for someone to complete a challenge. Involvement is key and this is enhanced by influencing the outcome, the narrative of consumer power and the drama involved, which all takes place in a limited time frame. Voting encourages the audience to form para-social relationships with the contestants and thus they can become more engaged in the outcome. Social media is key to driving involvement and this creates a sense of community. Reality TV apps release exclusive content and as one participant reported ‘stuff that you will only see on the app. It’s that exclusivity again, I’ve got a bit of a craving for that’.

What can retailers learn from Reality TV?

• Exclusive content - preview of new collections, only on the app to increase involvement. Influencer and style edits.
• Collaboration suggestions with designers that customers can vote on.
• Use of scarcity in campaigns to drive engagement and create buzz.
• Link all of the above to rewards to encourage engagement, enjoyment and love!

Summing Up

There was standing room only at Gledhill and Khan's fireside chat where they presented the above research during the Retail Technology Show 2023, and they received a great deal of interest in their research topic from retailers in attendance. They also generated some excellent ideas on how to develop the research further at the event, and are now planning to host a roundtable discussion with retail contacts made at the event to develop this research further.