Rapid internationalisation in the virtual world: a configurational examination of mobile apps

Mobile applications are able to reach multiple markets instantaneously and simultaneously in cyberspace, with varying performances over time. The purpose of this study is to advance our understanding of this process and the internationalisation patterns in the virtual world. Based on the diffusion of innovation theory (DOI), we have developed a configurational model that relates the three elements of the diffusion process – innovation, communication channels, and social systems – to the speed of dispersion across multiple markets (breadth) at different adoption rates (depth) and over different periods (timespan). A fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is conducted on a sample of 70 mobile games, which indicates that these elements have interdependent effects on rapid international expansion and play different roles in deeper and longer-term diffusion. It also demonstrates that rapid internationalisation in the virtual world benefits from communication and influence among users. This study contributes to the internationalisation speed literature by employing a demand-side perspective in the virtual world. It also contributes to the DOI literature by exploring the interdependent relationships among different elements of the diffusion process.