How can hedonic digital services enhance consumers’ perceived quality of life?
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Tam, Winze
Merlo, Omar
Eisingerich, Andreas
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Hedonic digital services such as games and music streaming claim a growing share of consumers’ time, yet how they shape perceived quality of life remains poorly understood. Across one qualitative and two quantitative studies in gaming and music streaming, we show how distinct service benefits (productivity-enhancing, sensorially pleasing, and cognitively stimulating) enhance perceived quality of life through three mechanisms: dependability, entertainment, and flow. In both contexts, flow contributes over and above dependability and entertainment, and perceived quality of life predicts consumers' real-money purchase decisions, demonstrating that the well-being a service provides has direct financial consequences for the firm. By integrating flow into the consumer–digital service relationship literature, the research clarifies how functional and hedonic benefits operate through distinct psychological paths, and shows that providers can strengthen well-being and engagement by balancing dependability and entertainment with features that foster flow.
Date Issued
2026-11-01
Date Acceptance
2026-07-05
Citation
Journal of Business Research, 2026, 216
ISSN
0148-2963
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Business Research
Volume
216
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
116412
Date Publish Online
2026-07-11