Determinants and Effects of User Delight with Theme Park Apps

Abstract

The rise of mobile apps intended to enhance the customer experience has prompted theme park operators to implement theme park apps with which to improve their relationships with visitors. The value of user delight in theme park apps has attracted considerable attention. To develop a delightful theme park app, however, theme park operators require a more detailed understanding of how they can optimize the impacts of theme park apps. By conducting an empirical study of 204 users of theme park apps through an online survey, this study found that delight has substantial impacts on users’ continuance intention, recommendation, offering feedback, and revisit intention regarding theme parks. Additionally, delight is determined by entertainment, aesthetic design, and achievement-related gamification. This study contributes to the literature on delight in the context of theme park apps and offers practical implications for theme park app designers and operators.