Abstract

Retention rates for Delayed-effect services, i.e., services that require a certain period of continuous engagement before their values kick in, are generally low. To address this problem, we examined whether boosting users' self-efficacy leads to a higher retention rate throughout the iterations of Tai Chi training, a typical example of a delaying service, by stimulating four sources of information of self-efficacy: performance accomplishments, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states. Participants in the experimental group showed greater self-efficacy compared to those in the control group. To our surprise, though, improving users' self-efficacy harmed their retention rate. Therefore, we argue that maintaining the outcome expectations is important to maintain the retention rate. Further analyses through the lenses of extended fields, e.g., cognitive science, kinesiology, and social science, are needed to better understand and improve this outcome so that we familiarize health exercises that usually suffer from poor retention rates without external guidance.