Situated or Ubiquitous? A Segmentation of Mobile E-Shoppers

Purpose: The objectives of this research are to differentiate mobile internet users in terms of their physical context orientation and identify market segments that help companies and policy makers address user needs and behaviors. Design/methodology/approach: Two methodologies - focus groups and a large scale survey – were used to develop and validate a scale measuring context orientation and cluster analysis was used to identify segments of mobile internet users. Findings: Mobile internet users are sensitive to four dimensions of place, time-task, social environment and control. This orientation differentiated four segments - flying spenders, corporate surfers, leisurely retired and domestically rooted – with distinct demographics and behaviors. Implication: The segmentation allows marketers to target mobile users more efficiently and helps policy makers better assess user privacy needs. Originality/Value: The research contributes a new construct of context orientation that explains usage diffusion of mobile devices and adds depth to our understanding of consumer behaviors in a technologically transforming environment