1. E-BOOK READING APPLICATIONS – INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AS A RESPONSE TO GROWING CONSUMER PREFERENCES AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR TOURISM
Dunja Meštrović, MA, PhD candidate
University of Rijeka, Croatia
Nataša Jakominić Marot, MA, MBA, PhD candidate

2. Contents Purpose of the study Theoretical background
Research objectives and hypotheses
Methodology
Research results
Conclusion
Contribution
Limitations and further research suggestions

3. Source: http://naldzgraphics.net/tips/value-little-favicons/
Purpose of the study
To explore the factors influencing users’ attitudes and intention to use mobile e-book reading applications (Apps) on smartphones and tablets, as well as their perceptions of Apps’ potential for enhancing tourists’ experiences as an added value of Croatian tourist offer.
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Theoretical background
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
The use of mobile technology in everyday life extends to the travel context (Wang et al., 2012).
… plays an important role in mediating the tourist experience: tourists use mobile technology “before, during and after travel” (Wang et al., 2012).
…facilitates the new way of travelling for “digital tourists”, whose experience is “extended by the information and entertainment provided by their new „travel buddy” - the mobile technology device” (Palumbo et al., 2014), which became an irreplaceable and a “powerful tool for tourists” (Dickinson et al., 2014).
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5. Theoretical background
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
The usefulness and the rapid diffusion of mobile technology led to the emergence of a wide range of mobile Apps.
Mobile devices enable their users to install and use the Apps based on their interests, needs and preferences.
The use of mobile Apps on smartphones and tablets for reading e-books become a new trend and a leading form of media consump­tion (Brown, 2001).
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6. Theoretical background
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VALUE-ADDED SERVICES
… services providing added value to the main product desired (Lexhagen & Nysveen, 2001; Nysveen & Lexhagen, 2001)
If customers perceive a high degree of value-added services they prefer, they will perceive high customer value (Nysveen, Methlie & Pedersen, 2003).
… offer superior value to customers and are highly relevant in tourism industry (Nysveen, Methlie & Pedersen, 2003).
Added value contributes the achievement, retention and enhancement of tourist destination’s competitive advantage in the context of an integrated tourism product (Meler, 1976; 2000; 2004; Meler, Cerović & Magaš, 2005).

7. Research objectives Objectives: Theories: to explore respondents’:
digital devices ownership
general IT and e-books usage habits
Technology Adoption Model - TAM (Davis, 1989)
Innovation Diffusion Theory - IDT (Rogers, 2003)
Theory of Planned Behaviour - TPB (Ajzen, 1991)
convenience and availability (Berry, Seiders & Grewal, 2002)
perception of value-added service (Portolan, 2015)
to explore the factors influencing respondents’ attitudes and willingness to use e-book reading Apps
to determine respondents’ perception of a mobile free e-book reading App as a value-added service

8. Hypotheses
H1: Younger, more educated, female respondents enrolled in the ICT study programme area show higher awareness, interest, intention to use and perception of free e-book reading App as a value-added service (VAS).
H2: Respondents owners of more digital devices show higher awareness, interest, intention to use and perception of free e-book reading App as a VAS.
H3: Respondents who carry along more digital devices while travelling and on vacation, use a wider range of internet connection sources and express higher importance of availability of local free Wi-Fi show higher awareness, interest, intention to use and perception of free e-book reading App as a VAS.
H4: Respondents’ past e-books experience and usage habits relate positively to awareness, interest, intention to use and perception of free e-book reading App as a VAS.
H5: Respondents who perceive higher innovation attributes of e-book reading Apps in its relative advantage, compatibility, convenience and availability show higher level of awareness, interest, intention to use and perception of free e-book reading App as a VAS.
H6: Respondents who perceive high level of e-book reading Apps’ complexity and trialability show lower level of awareness, interest, intention to use free e-book reading Apps and perception of free e-book reading App as a VAS.

9. Methodology Sample Convenient sample (university students), N = 922
Response rate
30.26 % ( N=922, n=279)
Data collection
January and February of 2017
Data analysis
Descriptive statistics: respondents’ demographic profile
Bivariate zero-order correlations: relationship between variables
Multiple regression: hypotheses testing

10. Methodology Research instrument: Online questionnaire, 29 items
No. of items
Type
Source
Digital devices ownership relevant to e-books 1
multiple response
Jung et al. (2011)
Usage of digital devices and internet connectivity habits while travelling and on vacation:
Digital devices carrying along
Internet connectivity habits
5-point Likert scale
Authors
Importance of free Wi-Fi availability
E-books usage habits
dichotomous
Chu (2003) 2
Perceived relative e-book advantages
Compatibility 3
Moore & Benbasat (1991)
Convenience 4
Berry et al. (2002); Mathwick et al. (2001); Srinivasan (2003)
Availability
Complexity
Trialability 5
Adoption decision variables
Awareness
Dupagne (1999)
Interest
Intention to use
Dupagne (1999); Ajzen & Fishbein (1980); Davis et al. (1989); Hsu et al. (2007)
Perceptions of value-added service
Portolan (2015)
Demographic characteristics

11. Table 1. Socio-demographic profile of respondents (N=279)
Research results
Table 1. Socio-demographic profile of respondents (N=279)
CHARACTERISTICS
RESPONDENTS n %
Gender
Male 76
27.2%
Female
203
72.8%
Age
22 (Mean)
Study programme level
Undergraduate
205
73.5%
Graduate 74
26.5%
Study programme area
ICT
120
43.1%
Other*
159
56.9%
* Biotechnology, Mathematics and Physics
Source: Research results

12. Adoption decision variables
Research results
Table 2. Correlations
Variables
Adoption decision variables
Perception of VAS
Hypotheses
Awareness
Interest
Intention to use
Demographics
Partially supported (H1)
Gender
0.176**
-0.258**
-0.182**
0.066
Age
-0.056
0.131*
0.102
-0.080
Study programme level
-0.177**
-0.100
0.002
-0.046
Study programme area
-0.231**
-0.117
-0.244**
-0.390**
Digital devices ownership
0.007
0.242**
0.139*
0.163**
Partially supported (H2)
IT travel and vacation behaviour
Partially supported (H3)
Digital devices carrying along
0.024
0.106
0.108
-0.081
Internet connection habits
-0.076
-0.039
-0.062
-0.110
Importance of free local Wi-fi availability
0.057
0.026
0.119*
-0.047
*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01
Source: Research results

13. Adoption decision variables Perception of value-added service
Research results
Table 2. Correlations
Variables
Adoption decision variables
Perception of value-added service
Hypotheses
Awareness
Interest
Intention to use
E-books experience and usage habits
Fully supported (H4)
E-books used
0.293**
0.335**
0.363**
0.444**
E-books used on devices
0.256**
0.349**
0.376**
0.289**
E-books sources
0.374**
0.416**
0.592**
0.418**
E-book Apps innovation attributes
Fully supported (H5)
Relative advantage
0.178**
0.433**
0.528**
Compatibility
0.319**
0.296**
0.407**
0.498**
Convenience
0.340**
0.305**
0.550**
0.545**
Availability
0.155**
0.625**
0.719**
0.465**
Complexity
-0.302**
-0.179**
-0.363**
-0.375**
Fully supported (H6)
Trialability
-0.275**
-0.171**
-0.264**
-0.340**
*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01
Source: Research results

14. Conclusion
Older respondents showed higher interest in using mobile e-book reading Apps.
Female respondents showed higher awareness, but lower interest and intention to use mobile e-book reading Apps than male respondents.
ICT students did not show neither higher awareness, intention to use nor perception of e-book reading Apps as a VAS than students in other study areas.
Respondents who own more dig­ital devices showed higher interest, intention to use and perception of mobile e-book reading Apps as a VAS. Digital devices ownership did not relate to the degree of awareness
Respondents who find the availability of free local Wi-Fi rather important expressed higher intentions to use mobile e-book reading Apps.

15. Conclusion
Respondents per­ceiving e-book reading Apps less advantageous, compatible, convenient and available, showed lower levels of awareness, interest, intention to use and perception of e-book reading Apps as a VAS.
Respondents who used e-books on different devices and from a wider range of e- book sources, who per­ceive e-book reading Apps advantageous, compatible, convenient and available, are more volatile to explore and take advantage of this innovation and have higher perceptions of mobile e-book reading Apps as a VAS.

16. Contribution THEORETICAL CONTRUIBUTION PRACTICAL CONTRIBUTION
framework of TAM (Davis, 1989), extended with the IDT (Rogers, 2003), TPB (Ajzen, 1991), convenience and availability (Berry, Seiders & Grewal, 2002) and perception of mobile e-book reading Apps as a value-added service (Portolan, 2015), can be successfully applied in the context of mobile e-book reading Apps and in tourism area
PRACTICAL CONTRIBUTION
is apparent in providing the evidence of respondents’ digital devices ownership, their general IT and e-books usage habits, factors influencing their attitudes and willingness to use e-book reading Apps and their perceptions of mobile e-book reading Apps as a potential value-added services of the tourist offer
idea: useful for tourism marketers and mobile Apps developers to take advantage of promotion of products and services by incorporating tourism-related ads in mobile Apps and reach customers in a more personal way

17. Limitations and further research suggestions
LIMITATION OF THE RESEARCH
A small convenient sample of students
Socio-demographic variables convenient for student population were studied
SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
To conduct the research:
on representative sample
with a wider range of socio-demographic variables (occupation, income, marital status, education level, etc.) and cultural or relevant market- development factors
The study – intended to stimulate similar research in the field of mobile Apps in tourism context

18. Thank you for your attention!
Dunja Meštrović, MA, PhD candidate
University of Rijeka, Croatia
Nataša Jakominić Marot, MA, MBA, PhD candidate