Why do e-commerce users stop playing in-platform game and feel dissatisfied? a quantitative study in the context of Vietnam

Abstract

Most of the E-commerce platforms have made a huge investment in in-platform game to engage customers in both game and commerce platforms. However, besides a large number of users keep playing games, abundant others stop their engagement and event dissatisfy with the platforms. This study aims to identify what factors affect online users’ discontinuation to play in-platform games and their dissatisfaction in E-commerce platform. To obtain the objective, a research model was developed based on the stimulus – organism – response theory (SOR) and literature on gamification. The technique of partial least squares structural equation models (PLS-SEM) was performed on data surveyed on 362 consumers in Vietnam. The findings revealed the positive effects of flow: temporal dissociation and uncreative thinking on the discontinuation to play games and E-commerce platform dissatisfaction via reward imbalance imagery and boredom. Regarding the impact magnitude, uncreative thinking in gamification was found to have the largest impact on the behavior. The findings also suggested several recommendations to utilize the use of gamification in E-commerce platforms.