Nudging digital entrepreneurs: the influence of the Google Play Store top developer award on technological innovation
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
ISSN: 1355-2554
Article publication date: 17 October 2023
Issue publication date: 29 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores how app store awards shape the behavior of leading digital entrepreneurs, focusing on their engagement in technological innovation through feedback and re-signaling mechanisms. It aims to reveal the nudging effect of award signals on entrepreneurial behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, data from 349 leading mobile app entrepreneurs in the UK Google Play Store were collected over an extended period from various sources. Functionality novelty and explorative behavior were assessed by analyzing app release date and permission technologies in comparison to both their own prior apps and those of their closest competitors. Hypothesized relationships were tested using accelerated failure time parametric models.
Findings
This study extends the literature on signaling by showing that (1) the top developer award signal served to nudge entrepreneurs to improve the functionality novelty of their apps and those who succeeded were less likely to switch to another product category, (2) the award signal created a window of opportunity for non-award entrepreneurs to respond and those who released new apps around the midpoint of a normal app development cycle significantly improved the likelihood of winning the award in a subsequent round of award-giving, and (3) the effect of functionality novelty on winning the award was more pronounced when non-award entrepreneurs pursued more explorative than exploitative behavior in app development.
Originality/value
The results offer novel insights into an understudied area, specifically the influence of online award signals on nudging entrepreneurs to pursue technological innovation. The research also highlights the crucial role played by the app store as an intermediary signaler.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Grant number: EP/G065802/1). The author would like to thank Witold Nowiński and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and guidance throughout the review process. The author thanks Jian Shao for contributing to the data collection and Piers Thompson for his invaluable advice.
Citation
Kuk, G. (2023), "Nudging digital entrepreneurs: the influence of the Google Play Store top developer award on technological innovation", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 29 No. 9/10, pp. 2110-2134. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-08-2022-0729
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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