Everywhere and at All Times: Mobility, Consumer Decision Making, and Choice

Advancements in mobile technologies mean that consumers can engage the digital world wherever they are and whenever they want. This intersection between the digital and the physical has important implications for consumer decision-making. We propose that mobile ecosystems vary in their capabilities and pervasivity (i.e., the degree to which a mobile ecosystem is accessible everywhere and at all times). Further, we propose that accounting for distinguishing aspects of mobile ecosystems, the context in which mobile ecosystems are used, and interactions between mobile ecosystems and mobile contexts are critical in advancing theoretical and substantive understanding of the role of mobile technologies in the marketplace. This perspective helps identify: 1) the types of data that empirical researchers may seek to gather and 2) the ways in which this data may be analyzed. Based on this perspective, we identify important research questions as well as opportunities and challenges for modeling mobile consumer decision-making.