Yes, but not now! Why some users procrastinate in adopting digital product updates

Yazhen Xiao and Jelena Spanjol

Journal of Business Research, 2021, vol. 135, issue C, 685-696

Abstract: Users of digital products (such as mobile apps or software) are frequently offered new versions in the form of updates. While updates can deliver benefits, they may also interfere with the ongoing use of digital products. We investigate why digital product users might delay implementing adoption intentions (which we term adoption procrastination) of updates. Three experimental studies show that while users may intend to adopt new versions, they deliberately delay adopting them under certain conditions. Specifically, we identify how perceived changes in the new version can trigger annoyance, leading to adoption procrastination. We further identify anticipated inaction regret as a counteracting mechanism, which reduces adoption procrastination. Our research makes theoretical and empirical contributions to consumer innovation adoption literature. First, we introduce the novel concept of adoption procrastination, expanding previously examined adoption-related decisions. Second, we propose and empirically test cognitive and affective mechanisms determining digital product users’ adoption procrastination.

Keywords: Adoption procrastination; Annoyance; Anticipated inaction regret; Psychological ownership; Successive innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:135:y:2021:i:c:p:685-696

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.06.066

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