The impact of inertia and user satisfaction on the continuance intentions to use mobile communication applications: A mobile service quality perspective

•Interaction quality influences continuance intention via user satisfaction.•Environment quality influences continuance intention via user satisfaction.•Outcome quality does not affect user satisfaction and continuance intention.•User satisfaction influences continuance intention.•Inertia mediates the effects of the other factors on continuance intention. Vendors of mobile communication applications/services (apps) aim at improve their designs to attract and retain users, and thus achieve the critical mass needed to ensure the success of their services. Despite the significant number of prior mobile service studies, few works have examined the effects of inertia and satisfaction on the users’ continuance intention with regard to specific mobile communication apps from a mobile-service-quality perspective. By integrating the mobile service quality framework, inertia, and user satisfaction, this study develops a model for interpreting the development of the continuance intention of users of mobile communication apps. Data collected from 238 users of such apps provided support for the model. The results indicated that interaction quality, environment quality, inertia, and user satisfaction are key determinants of continuance intention, while outcome quality is not. The theoretical and practical implications of this work are discussed.