How perceived competence-predominant and self-focus framing influence young consumers' satisfaction with nutritional apps

Purpose – As nutrition apps increasingly shape young consumers’ daily health management, sustaining customer satisfaction remains a challenge. This study aims to examine how perceived competence predominance relative to warmth influences satisfaction with nutrition apps and whether this effect is strengthened by self-focus framing. Design/methodology/approach – Three popular nutrition apps, MyFitnessPal, Lose It! and Fitbit, were identified through a preliminary survey of 305 young consumers aged 18–26. A total of 146, 661 user reviews of these apps were collected over a 30-month period. Using a data-mining approach, a balanced subsample of 18, 000 reviews was analysed. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software was used to extract language-based constructs, followed by regression analyses to test the hypotheses. Findings – Customer satisfaction is higher when nutrition apps are perceived as competence- predominant rather than warmth-predominant. This positive relationship is stronger among consumers who adopt a self-focus framing of their app experiences. Research limitations/implications – This research contributes to the literature on the stereotype content model and customer satisfaction in the context of consumer–technology-enabled health service interactions. Practical implications – The findings provide practical guidance for designing and marketing nutrition apps targeting young consumers, indicating that emphasising competence-related cues and self-focused framing in apps can enhance customer satisfaction. Originality/value – By integrating the stereotype content model with construal level theory, this research clarifies the role of social cognition and psychological framing in shaping satisfaction with nutrition apps.