Branded Apps and Their Impact on Firm Value: A Design Perspective

Although firms are increasingly launching branded mobile apps, an understanding of their influence on firm value remains elusive. Using stock market returns to assess firm value, the authors investigate the impact of branded mobile app announcements on such value. Moreover, recognizing that mobile apps generate various touchpoints in the customer journey, the authors also investigate how an app's design shifts the effects of mobile apps on firm value. In particular, they investigate effects from whether an app emphasizes features related to peer-to-peer interactions about the brand, personal-oriented interactions between a customer and the brand, or the purchase phase itself. They find that the launch of a mobile app increases firm value and that the features emphasized in app design play an important role in such value creation. The study offers important implications regarding the accountability of branded mobile apps and provides direction for marketing theory and practice.