Yu Wen Hung, Shih-Chieh Hsu, Wiyata, Chao-Min Chiu
Every year tech companies hold glitzy launch events to persuade smartphone consumers to upgrade. However, smartphone users are sticking with their current models for longer periods. Against this backdrop, this study applies the push-pull-mooring (PPM) model to examine the decision-making process behind smartphone upgrades. In the model, obsolescence is treated as a push factor, upgrading benefits and social influence as pull factors, and status quo biases as mooring factors. Additionally, this study incorporates market comparison to explore differences in these factors across regions. Data was collected from 777 smartphone owners in Indonesia, Taiwan, and the United States. The findings indicate that perceived obsolescence, upgrade benefits, and social influence positively influence perceived need and upgrade intention, while status quo bias negatively impacts upgrade intention. Further analysis reveals variations in the impacts of these factors across markets. This study contributes to academia by developing a holistic smartphone upgrading decision-making process model based on PPM framework. It also offers practical guidance for industrial practitioners, shedding light on the reasons why consumers delay upgrading their smartphones. © 2026 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Department of Information Management, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Information Management, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Business Administration, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia
