Empirical Study Of Influencing Factors On WeChat Continuance Intention

Internet makes the world become a "global village" because people can connect with others conveniently, but the limitations are that people have to use computers, network cable and so on to connect to the network. Mobile internet can compensate for the limitations of traditional Internet due to that people can search the Internet just by a mobile terminal. In fact, the mobile internet era has come. With the popularization of3G technology and the opening of the4G technology, it is bound to inject vast amounts of energy to the development of mobile internet and lead to a qualitative leap of the mobile internet. At the age of mobile internet, mobile chat tools become more popular than traditional social network. WeChat which is one of the most popular mobile chat tools has aroused extensive interest among academicians and practitioners. It is a good start of success that WeChat can attract many users in a short time, but the final success of WeChat depends heavily on users’continuance usage. Therefore, how to retain existing users is a problem worthy of thinking deeply. However, it is unclear to what extent, and how, the existing theories can be extended to explain the continuance usage of such new mobile instant messaging software. So this study aims to explore the factors influencing the continuance intention of WeChat to fill the gap in this field.In this study, the research model borrows the key concepts from the IS continuance model and the uses and gratifications paradigm to explain user intention to continue using WeChat. First, the goals that users expect to use WeChat to achieve are summarized based on the psychological motivation. Then5positive disconfirmations of expectation values-communication efficiency values, self-discovery values, entertainment values, social enhancement values and maintaining interpersonal interconnectivity values-are proposed by comparing their expectations and true feelings after a period of usage. Finally, the research model of WeChat continuance intention is proposed. The influencing factors and influencing mechanism of WeChat continuance intention are also presented systematically.The research model is empirically examined in the context of WeChat. A total of332returns collected from an online survey, which was conducted among WeChat users, were analyzed using partial least squares (SmartPLS2.0software).The results reveal that WeChat users’continuance intention is determined by both satisfaction and affective commitment. Satisfaction and affective commitment are, in turn, influenced by positive disconfirmations of communication efficiency values, entertainment values and social enhancement values. Positive disconfirmations of maintaining interpersonal interconnectivity values only have impacts on satisfaction and positive disconfirmations of self-discovery values have no significant impacts on satisfaction or affective commitment. Finally, the findings of this study are discussed. The conclusions contribute not only to theory building in WeChat continuance but also help WeChat designers develop strategies for retaining their existing users. Further, the directions of future research are also suggested.