WhatsApp! Does Culture Matter to Persuasive System Design and Brand Loyalty?

Serri Faisal, Kamaal Allil, Nor Aziati Abdul Hamid and Nor Hazana Abdullah
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Serri Faisal: Department of Business Information Technology, Emirates College of Technology, Abu Dhabi 51133, United Arab Emirates
Kamaal Allil: Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, College of Commerce and Business Administration, Dhofar University, Salalah P.O. Box 2509, Oman
Nor Aziati Abdul Hamid: Faculty of Technology Management and Business, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat 86400, Malaysia
Nor Hazana Abdullah: Faculty of Technology Management and Business, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat 86400, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: The traditional paradigm prioritizes local culture in application design; however, popular applications with persuasive systems design (PSD) like WhatsApp appeal to a global audience beyond local cultural attributes. The purpose of this study is to test the moderating role of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions on PSD and the relationship to loyalty in the context of WhatsApp. By employing an online survey, data were collected from the Netherlands, Germany, KSA, and Malaysia (N = 488). Using regression moderation analyses, the hypotheses were tested. Findings suggest that only two cultural dimensions, namely power distance and individualism, have a moderating role: power distance in Germany, and individualism in both KSA and Malaysia. This implies that managers must consider the possible influence of some cultural dimensions on loyalty. The study contributes to the literature by focusing on smartphone apps in countries with varying cross-cultural dimensions scores and utilizing the user’s perspective instead of the designer’s perspective.

Keywords: cross-cultural dimensions; loyalty; persuasive system design; smartphone applications; WhatsApp (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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