The Mediating Effect of Intentions to Leapfrog on the Relationship between Perceived Product Quality and Urgency to Replace

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VIII, Issue XI, November 2021 | ISSN 2321–2705

The Mediating Effect of Intentions to Leapfrog on the Relationship between Perceived Product Quality and Urgency to Replace

Mae Chepkoech^1*, Charles Lagat², Gary L. Frankwick^{3
1, 2}Moi University, Kenya
³College of Business Administration, University of Texas El Paso, U.S.A
*Corresponding author

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating effect of leapfrogging intentions on the relationship between perceived product quality and urgency to replace in the mobile phone industry. The study used a cross-sectional research design and simple random techniques to collect data from 349 employees of three Kenyan county governments. Findings reveal that perceived product quality positively enhances customers’ intentions to leapfrog, which positively influences their urgency to replace a product. In addition, results indicate that perceived product quality positively and significantly enhances customers’ urgency to replace. Finally, intention to leapfrog acts as a mechanism through which perceived product quality enhances urgency to replace. This reflects the consumers’ enthusiasm for variety and change which influences their urgency of replacing the existing product with the next generation. The mediation findings bring new insight to theory and existing literature in the marketing industry. The management need to recognize that for consumers to replace the existing product they expect new generation products to have improved safety, superior quality attributes, and superior performance than what is currently available. Thus, during the product development process, these features should be incorporated into the new product to increase acceptability and replacement.

Key Words: Perceived product quality, Intentions to leapfrog, Urgency to replace

Type: Research paper

Disclosure statement: There is no potential conflict of interest from the authors

Funding: The authors received no funds, grants, or other support

I. INTRODUCTION

Customers who want to buy future generations of mobile phones differ in their perceived urgency to replace the phone due to the rapidly changing nature of mobile phone technology. A number of motivating factors, including the intention to skip and the perceived improvement in product quality causes this.

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