Value drivers of government issued mobile coupons usage

In the pandemic time, many local governments in China issue mobile coupons to citizens in order to boost economy via stimulating consumption. This study examines value drivers for consumers to use government issued mobile coupons (GIMCs), which differ from traditional ones issued by retailers, during the pandemic time in mainland China.

Content analysis of 148 posts and 388 comments from Sina Weibo were performed to identify value-related antecedents of GIMCs' usage by consumers. Then, drawing on extant literature and based on the variables extracted from content analysis, a conceptual model was proposed addressing the determinants of value perceptions which motivate consumers to acquire and redeem GIMCs. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 510 citizens who used government issued m-coupons to verify hypotheses.

The research findings show that functional value (driven by economic benefits, convenience and relevance), emotional value (driven by trustworthiness, competition and altruism) and social value (driven by social norms and social recognition) positively shape consumer's attitude toward GIMCs and their intention to use GIMCs. Also, it is found that functional value and attitude link is enhanced by consumer's utilitarian shopping motivation and weakened by hedonic shopping motivation. Hedonic shopping motivation enhances the relationship between emotional value and attitude.

This research contributes to the theory development of coupon promotional tool by focusing on m-coupons issued by government (instead of retailers) under the pandemic background. Besides, it provides managerial insights for local authorities to design effective GIMCs policies.