The effect of mobile marketing antecedents on the purchase intention of staple products: A case of the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) market segment in Khayelitsha, South Africa

Purpose– This paper aims to investigate the effect of mobile marketing antecedents on purchase intention. This research seeks to ascertain the impact of mobile marketing antecedents on the purchase intention of staple products among BoP consumers to create a viable digital-commerce channel that serves this segment. To achieve this, the paper proposes that mobile marketing antecedents, such as service quality and price sensitivity, influence trust and satisfaction, which, in turn, influence the purchase intention of staple products.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was collected from 385 BoP consumers. Smart PLS 4 was used to analyse data using Structural equation modelling (SEM).Findings– Service quality positively influences trust towards mobile marketing. In contrast, a similar positive trend was observed for satisfaction, price sensitivity, service quality, and purchase intentions. Surprisingly, satisfaction and trust did not influence purchase intentions.Originality/value– Through the Value-Based Adoption Model (VAM), original contributions to the literature have been established, which have received little attention from consumer behaviour researchers, particularly in the context of emerging economies, to explore several mobile marketing antecedents that motivate or demotivate BoP consumers, who are mainly untapped, to make online purchases.