Explaining intention to use mobile chat services: moderating effects of gender

Purpose – In this article the authors aim to investigate the moderating effects of gender in explaining intention to use mobile chat services. Design/methodology/approach – An extended adoption model based on the technology acceptance model and theory of reasoned action is applied for pin‐pointing the antecedents of intention to use mobile chat services and for revealing cross‐gender differences. The hypotheses are tested on data from a survey of 684 users of mobile chat services. Findings – The study results suggest that social norms and intrinsic motives such as enjoyment are important determinants of intention to use among female users, whereas extrinsic motives such as usefulness and – somewhat surprisingly – expressiveness are key drivers among men. Research limitations/implications – The findings put renewed focus on non‐utilitarian motives and illuminate the role of gender in technology adoption. Practical implications – The cross‐gender differences observed give several guidelines for mobile service developers and marketers in how to accommodate female versus male users. Originality/value – The paper provides important and new insights both into mobile services adoption and into gender as an important segmentation variable in marketing.