International Journal of Consumer Studies最新文献

Although positive emotions generally influence pro-environmental behaviors positively, this is not always the case. Across one correlational and two experimental studies, we address this issue by investigating the temporal dimension of pro-environmental actions and how emotions can affect them. In the first study, we focused on the temporal dilemma behind pro-environmental behaviors, confirming the importance of “thinking about the future of the planet” for the adoption of various pro-environmental behaviors. In the second study, we examined the effect of eliciting positive emotions and the mediating role of the temporal focus induced by emotions. In this second study, we observed the superior effectiveness of eliciting future positive emotions (hope) compared with present positive emotions (amusement) in the adoption of pro-environmental behaviors. Finally, in a third study, we distinguished between integral and incidental hope, showing that the effect on pro-environmental behaviors is the strongest when hope is experienced about the future of the planet compared with when there is a general unspecific hope. Overall, our findings show the importance of investigating the unique effect of positive emotions, providing clear indications for practitioners about the beneficial effect of integral hope in the environmental context.

The practice of tipping is omnipresent in the tourism and hospitality sector. Although, consumer's tipping behavior has been studied from myriad perspectives, it is surprising that extant research has not yet explored how consumers' in different power states can be nudged to tip more. With the help of five studies in the lab and field, the results demonstrate that a low-power state is conducive for generating a higher tip if consumers' focus is on others due to enhanced empathy. Furthermore, as per the compensatory consumption model, powerless consumers desire power, so they are more likely to tip higher than powerful people when tipping is associated with status. Lastly, powerful consumers' propensity to tip higher is initiated when the expectations that others hold from them are made salient. Implementing these findings can maximize business' tipping revenue from both the powerful and the powerless consumers.

This article applies the life course paradigm to research on religion's influence on consumer behavior to provide an alternative perspective to theories explaining how religion influences consumption and marketing practice. While the life course paradigm has been shown to be highly influential in general consumer behavior research, this concept has been seemingly forgotten in the context of religion and consumer behavior, which is concerning given the role that religion can play in consumers' lives through various life transitions. Specifically, six major transitioning times in consumers' lives (leaving home, marriage, kids, retirement, spouse/parent death, and unexpected factors) are discussed with application to religion and consumer behavior research as well as future research directions. Discussion concludes with a call to action for more research on religion's influence on consumer behavior that is theoretically grounded utilizing the life course paradigm in an effort to more accurately understand the influence of religion on consumer behavior.

Digital transformation has had an unprecedented influence on all sectors of business over the last decade. We are now entering an era characterized by the extensive digital transformation of businesses, society, and consumers. Therefore, digital transformation has become a pivotal focus for organizations across various sectors in recent years. Despite differing scholarly perspectives on the concept and elements of digital transformation, a consensus exists that it significantly impacts consumer decisions and necessitates organizational adaptation. Recent challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic have further accelerated the need for digital transformation and its effects on consumers. This necessitates an editorial perspective on this most important topic to establish future research agenda encompassing the various dimensions of digital transformation. The purpose of this editorial perspective is to review research on digital transformation from a multidisciplinary viewpoint and provide insights into several key domains—Internet-of-Things, social media, mobile apps, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, the metaverse, and corporate digital responsibility—that are poised to fuel the pace of digital transformation. Each domain is analyzed through a lens of introduction, role, importance, multifaceted impact, and conclusions. Future research directions are suggested.

The recent interest of marketers in adopting masstige strategy is a testimony to its potential. But, the dialogue on masstige among research community is not befitting its requirement. This special issue was launched to address this pressing demand towards masstige research. This special issue serves the masstige theory with eight rigorous research papers covering utmost relevant varied aspects of masstige. Papers in this special issue establish the relevance of masstige strategy for hitherto less explored aspects like services, old-age consumers, short- and long-term happiness, and so forth. Novel insights are offered along with future research propositions for masstige research. Our aim of this special issue is well addressed by generating and advancing interest of scholars towards masstige and thereby extending the current horizons of masstige research.

Contextualized in health care service, the authors contribute to service experience theory and practice in three important ways. First, by means of qualitative interviews with patients and health care providers (clinicians and professionals), the authors empirically show that digital technology (mobile application—“app” with its companion portal) can perform the roles of a service provider in health care experiences, identifying six key roles. Second, the authors illustrate how apps, as service providers, can potentially transform the health care experience, influencing the roles and forms of interactions with other actors in the service ecosystem. Third, a typology of roles and key functions highlighting interactions and impact of the app and portal on the health care experience is developed. Drawing on institutional logics and role theory, this article aims to provide new insights into service provider roles that are not confined solely to humans. Our goal is to show that apps can undertake a range of roles to enrich interactions and potentially enhance the health care experience. First, the authors provide evidence that an app can perform the roles of connector, coordinator, counselor, enabler, instructor, and watchperson, impacting on the roles of others in the service ecosystem and the health care experience. Then, guidelines to assist organizations in designing a service using an app as a service provider are offered, together with an agenda to guide future research.

This article examines digital virtual leisure and the impact of increasingly blurred boundaries between the digital and physical worlds on consumer self-narratives. Using an extended case narrative method, the present research explores how consumers who are highly involved with digital leisure live out their ideal self-narrative in online communities. The findings highlight a level of complexity and fluidity when consumers move between worlds. The present research shows a more multifaceted set of issues that consumers traverse when moving between the physical and digital worlds. This research indicates the changing nature of the self-narrative for consumers in an ever-evolving environment that blurs the distinction between the digital and physical worlds. Results suggest that the digital virtual world (those online environments using digital technologies and virtual which has a sensory element) can serve as a sanctuary for consumers to gain empowerment and sustain hope. Digital virtual leisure is a highly involved form of consumption layered with meaning for individuals. The findings highlight the potential and opportunity to use self-narratives as a way to understand consumer involvement with online community spaces so as to better respond to and engage with the consumer target market.

This research provides compelling evidence that consumer reactions toward symbolically incongruent brand behaviors depend on their level of self-brand connection. It challenges the conventional belief that high self-brand connection works as a protecting shield for brands and reveals that consumers with higher (vs. lower) self-brand connection react more negatively toward symbolically incongruent brand behaviors because they feel betrayed by the brand. The results unveil that a sense of betrayal can be incited, when a brand's behavior is symbolically incongruent with its established meaning. This pattern of consumer responses is consistent across four experimental studies, which involved a diverse sample of 563 participants from different countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Spain and used various product categories. The results consistently show that individuals with high self-brand connection display an increased intention to engage in negative word of mouth, along with a decline in their brand attitudes and purchase intentions, driven by feelings of betrayal. This effect is further intensified for consumers with higher self-enhancement need. It is worth noting that prior literature on betrayal has often linked such feelings to more significant transgressions and behaviors with immoral connotations.

This study demonstrates that consumers' perceptions of voice assistant device (VAD) elements promote psychological ownership and interface flow experience, resulting in satisfaction with, and loyalty toward VADs. To that end, this study collected VAD users in the United States and conducted structural equation modeling to empirically examine the relationships among the variables. The empirical findings indicated that perceived artificiality and intelligence had significant influences on psychological ownership and flow experience. In addition, the empirical results demonstrated that psychological ownership resulted in flow experience with VADs, significantly affecting customer satisfaction and loyalty toward VADs. Finally, customer satisfaction had a significant impact on loyalty. Based on the empirical findings, this study provided meaningful implications for marketing scholars and practitioners.

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens (NFTs), are a new form of ownership registration based on blockchain technology that allows digital assets to be exchanged with guarantees of ownership and originality of the artwork involved. This has boosted the trade of these assets and companies have been quick to incorporate NFTs into their marketing strategy, either with their own tokens or by collaborating with established companies in the metaverse. Building on the frameworks of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2), this study contributes to the literature by analysing the determinants of individuals' adoption of NFTs through two studies. Study 1 relies on qualitative interviews with technology insiders to provide initial insights into these determinants. Study 2 tests the hypotheses developed and compares the results between non-buyers and buyers in order to analyse the intention to purchase and repurchase NFTs. This study contributes to the UTAUT2 with two new individual-specific variables of interest for the adoption of this type of product: social capital, and the fear of missing out. Finally, this study concludes with guidelines for companies on how they can use NFTs in their marketing campaigns.