How to Tell an Attractive Digital Story? The Revolution of Product Placement in the Mobile App Store

The accelerated pace with which mobile applications are developed has translated into an innovation diffusion paradox for mobile app stores. To cope with the avalanche of newly launched apps, conventional product promotion has given way to digital storytelling as a means of bolstering individuals' exposure to these apps. Digital storytelling, as an emerging and novel product placement format, has been credited for boosting consumers' receptivity to featured products through compelling narrative, direct links, and rich media, especially in the context of mobile app stores. To this end, we construct a research model to illustrate how to develop an effective strategy for digital storytelling in mobile app stores. In so doing, we endeavor to not only offer an in-depth appreciation of the effects of digital storytelling on mobile app promotion from the perspective of story content but to also shed light on how these effects could be moderated through story delivery.