The roles of personal innovativeness and push vs pull delivery methods in travel‐oriented location‐based marketing services

Purpose – As mobile devices amass greater capabilities that include broadband internet and global positioning systems (GPS), the relevance of location based marketing (LBM) services has gained increased attention among tourism researchers and marketers alike. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of personal travel innovativeness, information privacy and the type of delivery method (pull vs push) on the perception of potential value in LBM programs. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from travelers at two large airports in the USA. A 2*2 design that comprised LBM (services vs promotions) and the delivery method (pull vs push) combined with two primary covariates, namely personal travel innovativeness and information privacy, evaluated the potential value of LBM programs amongst consumers. Findings – The findings indicate that personal travel innovativeness has a significant impact on the perception of potential value in LBM. Additionally, the pull delivery method was more amenable to customers when compared with the push delivery method. Research limitations/implications – There are significant implications for practitioners in the way LBM programs can be conceived and implemented. Also, marketing messages can be produced based on the relevance of the findings. Originality/value – The paper is the first to directly ascertain the impact of the delivery method and travel innovativeness in an emerging domain of LBM using a synthesis of constructs.