Marketing

World Wide Web

Creativity

Engineering

Psychoanalysis

Brand awareness

Ecology

Communication

Netnography

Biology

Social psychology

Marine engineering

Brand community

Originality

Computer science

Structural equation modeling

Business

Mooring

Competition (biology)

Attractiveness

Advertising

Psychology

Social media

Regret

Affect (linguistics)

Machine learning

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

Purpose Recent years have witnessed the increasingly fierce competition amongst smartphone brands. Hence, smartphone firms urge to prevent current consumers from switching to maintain market position. Based on the push–pull–mooring (PPM) framework, this study aims to explore the drivers of users' intentions to switch from their current smartphone brands. Design/methodology/approach Based on previous literature and the characteristics of the smartphone purchase, this study identified one pushing, two pulling and five mooring factors. Online questionnaires were collected to test hypotheses using the structural equation modelling approach. An additional netnography study provides further support to the hypotheses. Findings Results show that regret is a push factor that enhances consumers' switching intentions. Moreover, two pull factors, subjective norms and alternative attractiveness positively influence consumers' switching intentions. Finally, switching costs, emotional commitment and brand community engagement are mooring factors that negatively affect brand-switching intention, whereas consumers' variety seeking has a positive effect. Originality/value This study enriches the brand switching literature and offers significant implications for customer retention.

Antecedents of smartphone brand switching: a push–pull–mooring framework