International Journal of Consumer Studies最新文献

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).

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) applications and the growing managerial emphasis on AI-mediated touchpoints have accelerated scholarly interest in brand communication (BC). Addressing the field's fragmentation, this study synthesizes findings from 84 peer-reviewed articles through a systematic literature review, integrating bibliometric mapping with the TCCM (Theory, Context, Characteristics, and Methodology) framework. The analysis identifies key themes including message design and interface cues, early communicator impressions, and downstream attitudinal and behavioral outcomes, while revealing unresolved issues and boundary conditions across sectors, cultures, and platforms. Several critical research gaps are identified, indicating the need for comparative assessments of technology-centric and socio-psychological theories, investigations in underrepresented regions and trust-sensitive industries, and deeper examination of platform-appeal fit, authenticity in generative content, transparency, user control, and contact cadence. Methodological recommendations include sequential mixed-method designs linking qualitative insights with causal experiments and behavioral validation. Additional approaches such as netnography, eye-tracking, and facial-expression analysis are emphasized for capturing nuanced affective responses. These findings provide a comprehensive foundation for future inquiry and practical guidance for designing AI-enabled BC that is effective, trustworthy, and contextually appropriate.

This study examines the determinants influencing consumer adoption of new footwear products, with a specific focus on the mediating role of customer satisfaction and the relational dynamics shaping adoption behavior across four European markets. A structured online questionnaire was administered to 637 respondents in Romania, Croatia, the United Kingdom, and Italy. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and multi-group analysis (MGA) was conducted to test cross-country differences in the structural relationships. The results reveal that perceived product benefits and communication effectiveness significantly strengthen customer relationships, which in turn enhance satisfaction and adoption intention. Technology, sustainability orientation, and social value show mixed influences across markets, highlighting cultural and contextual heterogeneity. Customer satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between relationship strength and adoption, confirming its role in translating relational perceptions into behavioral intentions. This study advances innovation adoption theory by shifting attention from technology-led drivers to the relational mechanisms that shape customer acceptance in fashion markets. It provides comparative evidence across European countries, offering strategic insights for brands aiming to accelerate consumer adoption of innovative footwear.

Growing consumer concern for sustainability and ethical consumption has increased demand for alternatives to animal-based leather. While research highlights the importance of consumer purchase intentions (CPI) in promoting sustainable products, limited attention has been given to how product symbolism influences such intentions in the context of vegan fashion. This study investigates the pathways linking product symbolism to CPI, examining the serial mediating roles of perceived value, attitude toward vegan leather, and willingness to pay a premium. Data were collected from 388 consumers in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh who had prior experience with vegan products. Using covariance-based structural equation modelling, the results show that product symbolism exerts a positive and significant effect on purchase intention, both directly and indirectly through the proposed mediators. Perceived value strengthens favorable attitudes, which in turn enhance willingness to pay and subsequent purchase intention. Unlike prior sustainable fashion studies that primarily emphasise functional, moral, or attitudinal drivers of adoption, this study demonstrates that symbolic meanings embedded in substitute materials themselves act as a primary behavioural trigger, operating through a serial cognitive–affective–economic pathway. The findings contribute to consumer behaviour theory by extending material culture perspectives into sustainable fashion consumption, and they offer practical guidance for marketers seeking to position vegan leather within masstige and eco-fashion markets in emerging economies. The findings further indicate that marketers and policymakers should move beyond eco-efficiency claims and instead position vegan leather as a symbolic identity marker, linking sustainability with aspiration, social signalling, and self-expression in emerging markets.

We conceptualize consumer bricolage in fashion as everyday practices of assembling, adapting, and personalizing garments to express identity within resource-constrained contexts, and develop a validated, multidimensional scale to capture it. Across five studies, we specify the construct via qualitative inquiry, generate and screen items, and then use survey-based analyses to establish a reliable three-dimensional structure, along with convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity. The resulting scale is theoretically distinct from adjacent constructs (e.g., customization, need for uniqueness, co-creation, innovativeness) and exhibits the expected associations with fashion consciousness, as well as incremental links to fashion consciousness, identity distinctiveness, fashion innovativeness, and consumers' social media engagement. By clarifying the dimensions of consumer bricolage and providing a robust instrument, we advance research on consumer bricolage and self-expressive consumption, particularly in contexts where resourcefulness and identity signaling are intertwined. For managers, the scale supports segmentation and the design of personalization pathways (e.g., modular assortments, upcycling kits, community challenges) that cultivate brand-community engagement.

Despite extensive research on product innovation, comparatively little attention has been given to how product innovativeness is or ought to be communicated to young consumers. This study systematically analyzes 700 newly released videos from S&P 500 consumer brands to examine how innovativeness cues are incorporated into their communications for new products. Findings reveal that the majority of these videos focus on imitative or incremental innovations rather than radical ones. Among the innovativeness cues, “relative advantage” was most frequently featured, whereas “technological novelty” appeared least often. These cues also tend to align with specific advertising appeals. To gain deeper understanding into young audiences' perceptions, the video analysis was complemented by 18 focus group interviews with Generation Z consumers aged 18–28. The results suggest that the innovativeness cue “coolness” is more appropriately captured by the broader and more inclusive term “emotional arousal,” while a new cue, “trendy/timely,” emerged from the analysis. Informants recommended employing a comparative advertising approach and emphasizing emotional arousal when communicating product innovativeness. These findings extend the literature on product innovativeness communication and offer valuable insights for practitioners seeking effective strategies to convey and enhance the perceived innovativeness of new products to younger consumer cohorts.