International Journal of Consumer Studies最新文献

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the TikTok platform on shaping the dietary preferences of young people. The research focused on analyzing the mechanisms through which social media influence consumer behavior in the area of nutrition, which is a particularly important issue in the context of the growing popularity of digital platforms and their effect on everyday decision-making. The study employed an individual model of technology acceptance and use that included eight analytical dimensions: perceived usefulness, entertainment content, virality, influencer review, social influence, subjective bond, attitude, and food behaviors. Data were collected through an online survey conducted in 2025 among 406 active TikTok users. The analysis was carried out using SmartPLS4 and structural equation modeling. The results confirm that TikTok functions as a powerful tool for shaping consumer behavior, utilizing algorithmic mechanisms, social influence, and users' emotional engagement. The most influential external factors are entertainment content, followed by subjective bond and perceived usefulness. Based on the estimation, the variance of attitude towards culinary trends was explained in 68.8% and food behaviors was explained in 54.5%. The platform affects dietary preferences through various channels of influence, ranging from culinary inspiration to the development of bonds with content creators.

In social media marketing, brands increasingly rely on user-generated image (UGI) campaigns, yet limited research examines how different types of brand-related images shape consumer enjoyment of the brand experience. Grounded in impression management theory, this study proposes that brand-related image types, including packshots (product-only), consumer selfies (consumer's face with the brand), and brand selfies (branded products held by an invisible consumer), influence consumer enjoyment through self-presentational concern. We further theorize that platform tie strength moderates this process. Across two laboratory experiments, we test a moderated mediation model. Study 1 indicates that sharing consumer selfies significantly reduces enjoyment relative to packshots and brand selfies, and that this effect is driven by elevated self-presentational concern. Study 2 replicates these findings and suggests a nuanced moderation pattern: on strong-tie platforms, self-presentational concern is elevated for packshots and brand selfies, whereas on weak-tie platforms it is highest for consumer selfies, where the sharer's face is visible.

Femvertising, a form of advertising aimed at empowering women, has been widely examined and is generally associated with positive consumer responses. However, less attention has been given to how foundational consumer beliefs, such as attitudes toward gender role equality, shape responses to femvertising, particularly in those Eastern European contexts where gender equality remains low. This study examines the brand-related consumer responses of femvertising, while considering gender role equality attitudes as a potential moderator. An experiment was conducted in a low-gender-equality context, comparing a femvertisement with a traditional gender-stereotypical advertisement in one marketplace. Data from 286 Generation Y women were analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modelling in AMOS and moderated serial mediation analysis using PROCESS (Models 6 and 83). The findings indicate that the femvertisement evoked favorable evaluative responses among the sampled Hungarian Generation Y participants. Perceived female empowerment enhanced the attitude toward the advertisement, which in turn related to more favorable brand evaluations and higher purchase intentions. Gender role equality attitudes further strengthened the association between perceived empowerment and attitude toward the advertisement. Overall, the results suggest that consumer responses to empowerment-oriented advertising vary with underlying gender equality beliefs and contextual conditions, with particular relevance for Generation Y women. This study contributes to research on advertising and societal gender norms by linking attitudes toward gender equality with variation in consumer responses to empowering advertising.

Studies show that women perform worse on financial knowledge tests, which contributes to broader gender-based inequalities. However, the reasons for this phenomenon are not yet fully understood. Using data on grammatical categories related to gender from the World Atlas of Language Structures, combined with financial knowledge data from the Eurobarometer survey, we test the hypothesis that the gender gap in financial knowledge to the disadvantage of women is associated with the degree of gender marking in languages spoken across European Union countries. Anchored in human capital theory, social identity theory, and the linguistic relativism hypothesis, the analysis reveals that women consistently perform worse than men in financial knowledge tests and that this gap is significantly larger in countries where more gendered languages are spoken. Our results are robust to the specification of the critical variables—financial knowledge and the language gendering index—and to the model used. The findings underscore the socio-economic implications of linguistic structures and advocate for culturally aware financial education interventions to mitigate gender disparities in financial literacy.

Brand heritage is widely acknowledged as a critical brand asset; however, the mechanisms underlying how perceived brand heritage (PBH) shapes consumer decision-making in digital contexts (e.g., live commerce) remain inadequately explored. Grounded in customer-based brand equity theory and knowledge management theory, we propose a dual-mediation model wherein emotional resonance and consumer–brand identification transmit the impact of PBH on purchase intention. A preregistered empirical study was conducted on a real-world live-streaming platform to test the hypothesized framework. The findings demonstrate that PBH significantly enhances PI through both ER and consumer–brand identification. Moreover, brand awareness moderates the mediating effect of consumer–brand identification, whereas interactivity moderates the effect of emotional resonance on purchase intention. This research enriches the consumer–brand relationship literature by delineating the psychological pathways linking PBH to PI, and provides actionable insights for brands aiming to leverage brand heritage to strengthen consumer engagement in live-streaming commerce.

Body image concerns are a widely recognised and important health issue. Of particular concern is the potential association between selfie behaviours and body image, given the increasing focus on physical appearance in selfies and the tendency of individuals to portray an idealised version of themselves. To date, several reviews have provided valuable insights into selfie behaviours and their relationship with body image. However, they have certain limitations in terms of methodology, with studies tending to narrowly focus on a specific age group, gender, or topic. To address these limitations, a systematic review was conducted, comprising a total of 37 Web of Science (WoS) articles from 20 peer-reviewed journals across a range of disciplines, including psychology, marketing, and media studies. This study was conducted following the Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Reviews (SPAR-4-SLR) protocol and guided by the Theory-Context-Characteristics-Methodology (TCCM) frameworks to provide insights into the selfie behaviours within the body image literature. Further, the study introduced an integrated conceptual framework that identifies the independent, mediating, moderating, and dependent variables of the phenomenon examined in this review. Thus, the current review identifies certain overlooked areas that require further investigation and have the potential to significantly advance this field of study. This study has also significant implications for public policy and government strategies, which may be relevant to policymakers, practitioners, and individuals in assessing the impact of selfie behaviours on body image, particularly within the context of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being).