How is Satisfaction with Online-to-Offline App Formed? Importance of Confirmation Through Offline Experience

Online-to-offline mobile applications (O2O apps), which attract potential customers online and entice them to purchase in physical stores, are growing in popularity. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which satisfaction with O2O apps is formed through offline experiences. Drawing on the expectation confirmation model (ECM), this study proposes that the confirmation of expectations through offline experiences is the key to explaining satisfaction with O2O apps. Response data from 271 consumers of Kakao Hair, an O2O application that is widely used for hair shop customers in South Korea, were collected and analyzed. The analysis found that the confirmation of expectations through offline experiences directly influences O2O app satisfaction, and indirectly influences O2O app satisfaction through trust in and the perceived usefulness of O2O applications. This study contributes to both ECM literature and mobile application literature by demonstrating how confirmation of expectations through offline experiences affect O2O app satisfaction and intention to continue using O2O apps.